The Misadventures of a Princess and a Frog
by princess-smiles-remixed
Summary: Once Upon A Time, there lived a carefree princess who found herself in a bind with a mysterious cursed frog, leading the girl into an less than desired commitment. Can Yuffie find a way out of her engagement? Will Vincent ever return to normal? Join them on their adventures! A FFVII version of the Frog Prince and other famous fairy tales. [Yuffietine] - [Zerith] - [Cloti] AU
1. Chapter 1: The Frog Prince

_A/N: Hi everyone! This is a revamp of an unfinished Yuffitine story I started many years ago (which several reviewers begged for me to update) ~ it's a FFVII version of the "The Frog Prince" but with much more twists added! Hopefully I'll get to updating within reasonable time frames, lol. Also, I might edit a few things here and there to make it better) I am also going to say that there are more couples to appear during the course of this story (it isn't a short story btw). The main one here is Yuffie and Vincent. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter One: The Frog Prince**

_-The prince whose fate was changed literally transformed-_

* * *

**Once Upon A Time...**

In a faraway place, lived a very handsome prince, whose eyes were as red as the rose, hair was as dark as ebony, and skin as white as snow. This prince happened to fall helplessly in love with a beautiful princess from a neighboring kingdom.

However, there was also another man who desired the princess's hand; though he was a prince himself, he had little princely attributes. He was very ugly, inside and out. Aware that the princess fancied the much more handsome one; he feared that his chances of courting her were slim. Using his knowledge of the black magic, and trickery he cast an evil curse upon his rival, and turning the beloved prince into a frog!

The poor frog prince tried to approach his beloved in this form, but upon seeing the frog she became disgusted, ordering to have him removed immediately. He didn't even have a chance to reveal himself! The evil prince then cast a sleeping spell on the frog and had him sent off to a foreign land, across the oceans, to avoid a second attempt to contact the princess.

When the little frog came to, he leaped around from place to place, trying to find a suitable place to live. After his fiasco with the princess, life among humans seemed out of the question, and the swamps were unbearable. However, one day he eventually found a quiet well. Lonely and highly depressed, the frog lived there, expecting to live the rest of his life hopping about in the water.

Little did he know… this was one of the many places that the princess of this land loved to conduct her adventures in.

* * *

The area the frog prince resided was a serene place, lightly covered by the shade of the blossoming peach tress surrounding it, with various types of flora and fauna decorating the pathways; yet it was abnormally quiet. He did not mind it though, as he felt this fitting to his disheartened state. Living day in and day out in this silence, it was surprising when a melody broke through on a sunny spring day. The tune was rather familiar, however it was hard to recognize because the one humming it was clearly off pitch, off key… just off. He jumped into the fountain hoping to drown the sound out, not alas, no luck. Either a frog's hearing was very good, or she was just obnoxiously loud.

The visitor happened to be the heiress to the Wutai kingdom, Yuffie Kisaragi, who cherished this spot more than any location in the land. While still humming the song along, she tossed a gold materia from hand to hand, sitting on the edge of the spring. She seemed to get lost in thought about something, and while still tossing around the golden orb, she accidentally threw it higher than expected, which resulted in it falling into the well. When the frog saw the sparkling sphere fall from above, he noticed the off tune singer had stopped. Curiously, he peered over the surface to see, the princess crying miserably at her misfortune. He leapt to the edge, to study the girl. She was definitely of royal blood judging by her clothes and little golden crown that sat on her head, but her looks were not of the usual idea of a princess. Her raven hair was quite short, her figure very petite, more than usual, he almost nailed her appearance as rather average looking. He debated whether or not he should speak to her, but she looked so grieved, that he could only wonder why.

"Excuse me," he began, "May I ask why you are weeping?"

When the tear-stained Yuffie wiped her eyelids and turned to him, is where he found something princess worthy. Her eyes were doe like in shape and color, her face so full innocent features…. until she gave him a stunned expression.

"A….A Touch Me? I thought those frogs were green, this one's black!" she squealed, distancing herself a little further from the strange creature.

"…I asked you a question."

The dark haired princess blinked twice before further shouting "Eh-My-Gawd, it's talking to me!" while pointing at him, continuing to blabber on about hallucinating. Meanwhile the little frog just sat there with a blank face.

After slightly calming down about the situation, (which meant screaming turned into miniature mumbles) Yuffie wasn't sure if perhaps "it" or "he" was dangerous, with its eyes a rather frightening shade of red, and its body was the color of an ominous night sky. But, maybe, just maybe, it would be kind enough to get her precious materia from the depths of the fountain?

Thinking how useless this conversation had come to be, the frog turned to return to the water, however, the princess began to sob quite violently.

"My golden materia," she wailed, "my precious materia has fallen into the well! It was my mother's and now it's gone, lost forever in a pit of water. I would give anything and everything I have to get it back: my clothes, my jewelry, even my crown!" The frog took this in consideration, and thought to himself; perhaps maybe he would not have to live a lonely and depressing life, since the princess offered anything to him. After all, the only happiness in his world was taken away from him the moment his past love rejected him.

"I do not care for your clothes, or jewelry, or even your crown. All I ask is that you be a companion to me, stay by my side, and share your life with me." The princess blinked twice at his request, and took some time to think about it; which, didn't last very long, because Yuffie already decided she wasn't going to do any of the things she said anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, just get my materia." She answered with a hint of impatience in her voice.

"….Do you promise to keep your word?"

"On my honor, I, Yuffie Kisaragi the _**first**_ _**and**_ _**best**_, high princess of Wutai, give you my word." With that said, the frog dived into the well to retrieve her treasure.

A few seconds after the frog went to bring back her possession, Yuffie shuffled to a smaller peach tree and plucked a small branch off.

"As if! I, Yuffie Kisaragi the _**first**_ _**and**_ _**best**_, high princess of Wutai, would ever associate myself with a puny, slimy thing. Like _ewwwww_." She mumbled to herself. "What's with this frog anyway, he should just find a girl froggy to play in the mud with. The nerve!" Yuffie sat back in the spot she had been at, and waited for the frog's return. Within a moment, the black frog reappeared, with her promised valuable in his mouth. He released it, and it went rolling towards the girl's feet. Satisfied, the young princess scooped up the gold materia, and the branch still in hand, swatted the unsuspecting frog back into the spring.

"**SUCKER**!" she gleefully teased, blowing a raspberry; then hoisted her dress and began running away.

The small frog prince, however, recovered rather quickly, and began to call out to the princess, who was cackling away and paying no heed to him, growing more distant as she was very quick on her feet. Normally, an event like this would have put him into another series of depression; however, he would not let humiliation get the best of him now. Especially, not from the likes of _her_.

The princess finally reached her carriage, where a guard was waiting, taking a bit of a smoke break. Her disordered state surprised him and even the golden chocobos that were tied to the coach. He quickly put out his cigarette, and Yuffie, put one hand on the cart to catch her breath.

"What the rush? It looks like the 'White Rose of Wutai' got all trampled on, yo."

"Reno," Yuffie gasped, glancing the other way, and then back to the wild red-head, "We gotta go, _**NOW**_…. I mean step on it." She quickly got into the carriage, and slammed the door behind her. Her royal guard, however, scratched the back of his neck, and turned to look to see what she could be running from. There seemed to be nothing behind her, well he thought if he squinted hard enough, he could make out a frog….

"Reno!"

"Whatever you say, princess."

* * *

It had been days since the incident at the fountain, and the next to be empress had long forgotten about it. However, the frog made his way up to the royal palace, sneaking about till he found the dining hall, where the royal family was currently partaking in their evening meal.

He finally reached the door, and hesitated for a moment, until he could hear the princess's high pitched voice ringing in his head….

"_SUCKER!"_

That in itself was enough motivation to call out to her.

"Princess! Princess Yuffie!"

The voice was small, and almost inaudible from the royal dining table. But, still it was heard.

"Yuffie, is someone calling you?" the King of Wutai, Godo Kisaragi questioned, straining his ears.

"Hmm?" The princess stopped eating for a moment to also take a listen.

"Princess Yuffie! Princess!" Someone had indeed been calling after her. She rose to answer the door, which happened to be quite a distance from the table actually, slowly opening it up. She looked to the left, and shifted her gaze to the right, finding no one in plain sight.

"I swear, those servant boys!" Yuffie huffed, turning on her heels, "I'll show them to mess with the Empress of Pranks."

"Down here, princess." The short haired maiden then turned her attention to the floor, her round chocolate eyes meeting that of…. Crimson. They widened in horror at the recognition of the charcoal colored creature. He sat there again with another blank expression. Time seemed to freeze, and Yuffie felt her heart do the same.

But that didn't stop the heiress of Wutai from slamming the door on his froggy little face.

_Ah, so draws up the first edit of the first chapter! I hope all who reads this (whether it be your first or you read this a long time ago) that ya'll enjoy it! Edits to the other chapters coming soon, with brand new one's to follow after those :)_


	2. Chapter 2: The Heiress's Dilemma

_A/N: That's to those who are reading and reviewing! I'm glad you all look forward to reading this, as I look forward to (re)writing it!_

_CupofTeaforAliceandHatter: I enjoy thinking how they interact. It's so much fun!_

* * *

**Chapter Two: The Heiress's Dilemma**

-A commitment of a lifetime-

"I can't believe it followed me here," she thought aloud, leaning on the door for support; her heart feeling at any moment that it would burst out. "Don't panic. Think Yuffie, think!"

The frog prince could hear her rapid breathing from the other side, and called out to her once more. The raven haired girl's body tensed at the sound. Should she cause a dramatic distraction? Or keep her cool? She opted for the latter and began to act like nothing happened. Maybe the frog would take the hint and get lost. The Wutainese heir put on her best poker face, and made her way back to the dining table. But, no matter how much she put into playing it off, her face was still pale, eyes too alert, and she was trembling all over.

"Yuffie," her father commented, "You look like you have just seen a ghost! Don't tell me there is a tonberry out there after you." Godo chuckled at his remark, and his daughter returned it with a nervous laugh. How she wished it were true! The girl had already gotten her father cross with her six times within the past two weeks. Though all she did was simply rub the king the wrong way with harmless (or so she thought) acts, this surely would guarantee her doom.

"N-no," she lied, shaking her head for emphasis, "It's nothing! Nothing at all!" The king raised a thick eyebrow at her, but Yuffie averted his gaze, attempting to return to her meal. Yet, before she took a seat, the frog cried out again.

"Princess, you gave me your word!"

"_Shut up, shut up, shut up! Take a hike toad!"_ the princess thought to herself. She cringed when he called out yet another time. By now the king had enough of this.

"My daughter, who is that at the door?"

"No one important."

"Yuffie. What did you do this time? Who is it?"

"_Well. Cat's outta the bag now. Or more like…"_

"…..A frog," she finished aloud half heartily.

"What business does a frog have with you?" Yuffie bit her bottom lip, and confessed. As she continued with her story, Godo's frown deepened, and by the end he was massaging his temple, frustrated at his child's foolish actions.

"So now it's here, thinking I'm actually gonna do it," she finished, a trace of laughter in her voice. Surely the king would figure something out, knowing what a big of a joke this was, and would absolutely agree that the whole thing is just ludicrous.

"You must."

"See I thought it was totally stupid too….Wait…what?"

"You gave him your word."

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

"No way! NO way! I refuse to marry a frog!" the princess protested. The king, now with his temper almost at its peak, harshly scolded the young girl, trying to restrain himself from yelling.

"Yuffie, as heiress to this kingdom, you must learn to take responsibility for you actions!"

"B-But-"

"Even if it means to wed a frog, as much as I dismay the idea, you made him a vow, on your honor. I suggest you learn from this and do not continue to make promises you do not intend to keep!" Yuffie's jaw dropped. How dare her father take sides with a frog!

"You're making me marry that?!"

"YOU are the one who gave your hand away!" he answered quite furiously. Godo, took a moment to let himself cool down before he continued on. "My daughter, I am going to give you two choices: either you let him inside and allow him to stay with you OR you can go back to the well and stay with him."

Judging by the tone of his voice, he was very serious. Defeated, the princess let out a disgruntled "Ugh!" and made her way back to the entrance. When she opened the door once more, the small black frog found himself looking at Yuffie's irritated eyes, and a forced smile plastered across her face. "Please, come inside," she invited through her teeth.

He decided it would be best to avoid eye contact with his young hostess, as he entered the dining hall. The frog prince had learned from lessons in his youth that Wutai was an exotic place when compared to other kingdoms, and the interior decorations proved them correct. He hopped next to the princess's seat, which she hesitated to go back to.

"Ah, welcome to our home," Godo greeted, examining the tiny creature. "I do hope you find everything to your liking, and I apologize for my daughter's rudeness." On cue, Yuffie rolled her eyes. "We were just about to start dinner, so please join us if you'd like."

It had been so long since the prince had had a freshly prepared meal. He would have to relearn what some of it tasted like.

"Lift me up beside you, so that we may eat together," the frog simply stated.

"Ew. Grossness."

The king cleared his throat, and Yuffie immediately went to find a chair to sit him on. After she had found one, she took a napkin, folded it in half and picked up the small being with it, placing him in it's seat. But of course, a chair isn't any help for someone his size, so he asked to be lifted to the table. The girl gave him a rather appalled stare, scrunching her little nose in the process.

Her father cleared his throat once more. Sucking her teeth, the princess set him upon the table, using the same napkin, of course.

"I cannot reach the plate."

"Don't frogs eat flies?" she crossly questioned.

"Yuffie!" Godo reprimanded with a warning gaze.

Yuffie spitefully pushed the plate with one finger nearer to the frog. He ate quite well, and was pleased with the taste of the food. But out of the mixture of disgust and humiliation, the princess did not eat a single bite, and sat there the entire time with her arms crossed.

The frog, feeling sleepy due to his long journey and full stomach, declared "I'm tired. Let us retire for the night."

"Excuse me? No way! No. Way. As if!"

"My daughter, he who helped you when you were in trouble ought not afterwards to be despised by you," her father said, his patience wearing thin. The Wutai princess, made a small whining noise, and once again picked up the creature with her handy napkin, and made her way to her royal chamber.

* * *

Outside, Reno watched the aggravated princess make her way in, with a bundle in her right hand. He wanted to ask what it was, but her expression told him that now was not the best time to ask. Especially when she slammed the door behind her.

Inside, Yuffie found the furthest corner in her spacious room, and sat the little frog there. But he followed her to the bed anyway.

"Lift me up onto the bed, so I may rest or I shall tell your father."

The princess repeated the sentence back in a sarcastic nasal fashion, huffing that he was a "snitch" under her breath. However, not wishing to face the wrath of the king, the princess, lifted him onto one of her pillows, but first without finding that napkin from earlier. Setting him down, she gave him another heated glare. And then it had looked like a light bulb had gone off in her head.

"You! You're a pervert, aren't you!" she said, protecting herself by hugging herself tightly. The frog prince decided to ignore her, and close his eyes.

"You are! I knew it! You perv! You only want to look at the goods!" The creature's eye twitched. "I'll have you know, that not even a human male has laid eyes on the good stuff, and you're not gettin' a peek either."

He would get no rest over this matter. Her squeaky yells were beginning to give him a migraine. With his eyes still shut the frog responded "If I am lying in this bed from ideas of perversion, then I have not chosen a very good place to sleep, have I? Your bed has nothing to offer in that light." Surely that would shut her up.

Yuffie gasped in horror. Did that nasty well-dweller just insult her? Insult the "White Rose of Wutai's" glorious one-of-a-kind looks? How dare he! Not to mention what ticked her off the most was the monotonous way he said it, and how his face showed no expression the whole time. Can frogs even show facial expressions? She huffed and turned on her heels, heading towards her balcony, closing the glass doors behind her.

"Great Leviathan, do you hate me?!" the princess roared to the night sky. "If this is your idea of a joke, I am SO not amused!" Pointing to the heavens, her voice still upset, but in a whisper she added "You are a cruel and sick god." She took a few minutes to let the night air to cool her temper, and then decided that she should attempt to go to sleep. Maybe this was all just a twisted dream, and when she woke up everything would be back to normal.

When the girl returned to her bedside, the small frog had already fallen asleep. Sighing to herself, the princess prepared herself for slumber, and slept on the very edge of the bed to avoid any physical contact.

The princess was a vivid dreamer, who never had trouble going to bed. The frog prince was quit the opposite, and found it very hard to sleep as his dreams were filled of nightmares of that fateful day.

If he was lying on her bed for the idea of rest, he had chosen the wrong place to do so. He would somehow have to get used to this. Yuffie's constant movement in sleep, made it hard to become comfortable. The princess was one wild sleeper.

* * *

_A/N: Once again a big thank you for reading my story! I hope ya'll are enjoying it! :)_


	3. Chapter 3: Once Upon A Dream

_A/N: Woot Woot! Two chapters uploaded today! Aren't ya'll lucky :) I also managed to write a proper summary for it as well, lol! Please enjoy, I believe, now is where I start to redirect the original story I had into a something a little different (but still fun and interesting). If I could choose another story category it would be "Adventure." Thanks to all who have read, especially those who follow and leave me reviews!_

* * *

**Chapter Three: Once Upon A Dream**

- _Or is it a memory instead? -_

* * *

Two hours had passed since the two went to bed… Two long ones. Yuffie slept in the most inconvenient fashion. How did so much noise come from such a small frame? As if on cue, the girl let out a small laugh , rolled onto her side and continued with her snoring.

Readjusting himself, the frog again tried to rest his eyes. He was cursed once more with the same nightmare, an aching memory he had tried his best to forget: the day he was turned into this present form.

Fade in to darkness. He didn't dream back then. Awaking from his slumber, everything was hazy, which was the norm when he rose in the morning. But today was to be a wondrous day. The prince was to go see his beloved one. This visit was to be a memorable one: he was to propose to the ever beautiful Princess Lucrecia.

Eyes scanning his surroundings, he found himself buried in clothes – his clothes – which seemed incredibly larger than usual. The prince attempted to pick them up, that is, until discovered his fingers were now webbed and charcoal-colored. Rushing over to the nearest mirror, everything seemed so foreign and he found himself leaping instead of running.

The mirror confirmed his fears. Yet even so, he did not want to believe it.

A frog. He was a frog.

The prince, now turned amphibian, had been usually a calm and composed individual, but this situation set him into a panic. He would have to find help and fast. Who else would be more willing to help than the one he loved most?

But he had been very wrong.

When he appeared at her bedside that morning, she shrieked at the first sight of him. This alarmed the royal guards, as well as others that were taking their stay in the castle. Bursting in at full force, they found Lucrecia shrinking away in the furthest corner.

"Princess! Is everything alright?!" one of her guards asked, looking around for signs of danger.

"That frog! There is a repulsive frog in my bedchambers!" she cried, pointing a shaky finger at him. Her face was contorted into the most disgusted features; her eyes broke the prince's heart into pieces. Was he really that appalling? The whole situation seemed to paralyze him.

"…Is that all?" Another guard questioned, while others attempted not to laugh at the current scene.

"What do you mean 'Is that all?' Frogs are horrid little creatures! How dare you allow such filthy things reach my room!" At this moment, a rather lanky fellow came in; his skin a sickly white, a greasy black ponytail, and his back hunched forward.

"My dear princess," he said with a sneer, "What is with all this commotion in the early hours of the day?"

"There is a nasty frog on my pillow!" He chuckled in response.

"Then shall we remove this poor creature?" the man asked, leering down at the frog prince with a twisted amused smile on his face.

"Do whatever you wish Hojo, just remove it from my sight!" the princess demanded.

The poor frog, sat defenseless, as now he felt that hope was lost, because the only one to help would not even glance at him. The next thing that happened again was…. Darkness.

His eyes snapped open when that part came up…never failing to do so when it happened. His gaze wandered over to the sleeping girl, who was… his wife to be? Perhaps he was rash in his thinking. He observed her, limbs flailed about in various manners, her body taking up whatever space it possibly could. Had the bed been smaller, he surely would find himself on the floor the following morning. She would definitely be a nuisance to deal with. The frog closed his lids at another attempt to nap, when something she murmured caught his attention.

"Mom?"

Now that he thought about it, he didn't remember seeing the queen at dinner. It was just the emporer and Yuffie…

* * *

"Yes, darling?"

"Where are we going?"

"To my favorite place in all of Wutai."

"Why?"

"Because I want to show it to you, silly!"

The Lady of Wutai had been an elegant woman, a kind queen; a loving mother. Yuffie aspired to be like her one day. She didn't ever want to leave her side, be left alone, and see her disappear….But nothing lasts forever. Regardless, she held on tight to all the memories of her. It had been a while since she dreamed of her. And this memory the princess dreamt of tonight, was one of her most cherished ones.

It was springtime, and Yuffie had barely turned five years old….They were at her mother's favorite place: the very same well she had met that bothersome frog. But the fountain was much more stunning that season. Everything was brighter, lusher, and the peach blossom's aroma filled the air. Yuffie gawked in amazement when she first saw it.

"Well, my little princess, what do you think?" her mother asked beaming at the way her daughter drunk the sight in.

"I love it too!"

"I knew you would!" she replied, sitting herself at the edge of the spring. The young girl came and did the same, swinging her legs around in enjoyment. Giggling at her daughter's delight, she added, "It is the prettiest here in spring."

"Is this why it's your favorite spot, mama?"

"One of them."

"What's the other reason?"

The queen smiled, and looked towards the skies as in thought. "Your father used to bring me here quite a bit, before he was king. I have had many special moments with him here." Her child made an "Oh" like face, and nodded her head. "Now he's a very busy man, so we don't come here very often, but I'd figured you'd like to see it too."

"Thank you for letting me see it," Yuffie chimed, looking at her mother sheepishly. The Lady of Wutai lightly laughed, and pinched her daughters chubby cheeks.

"My Yuffie, you are so cute! Here, I have something for you," she said, pulling out a shiny golden orb.

"What is it?"

"It's materia."

"What does it do?" the princess asked, examining the sphere.

"Well, I'm not too sure myself. Usually materia does something, like make fire or protect you. My mother told me it grants wishes, although, I have yet to see one of mine come true." She took hold of her daughter's hand and placed it in her palm, saying, "Do promise me you'll take good care of it. It's been passed down from generation to generation, and maybe one day it'll grant a wish for you."

"I promise! I'll take good care of it!" the youth answered, almost too quickly for her mother's liking, which resulted in a raised eyebrow and a stern face.

"Yuffie, I hope you know how vital it is to keep your promises… One day, you'll reign over the land of Wutai. People will believe you when you say you'll do something… and if you don't, they'll be disappointed in you. Who knows? Maybe they won't trust you anymore. And you'll see trust is very important in ruling a kingdom, in fact, in everything you do. Understand, sweetheart?"

"I... I understand," Yuffie replied, holding tightly to the gold materia in her hands. The queen, gently patted the girl on her head.

"I know you won't let me down."

"I won't… I won't let you down…"

After she muttered those words, the princess's wild sleeping patterns had ceased, and the frog managed to find some rest until the sun broke out.


	4. Chapter 4: Strategy

**Chapter Four: Strategy**

_- Creating the perfect escape plan -_

* * *

When morning had arrived, the loud opening of the door startled the frog, but Yuffie showed no signs of waking. Covered by a random sheet that had been thrown on him from the night before, he peered from underneath to find a wild redhead's face dangerously close to that of the princess.

"Yo, wake up sleeping beauty," he sang to her, one arm holding him up, the other arm's hand brushing away a few strands away from her face. "Or does the fair lady need a kiss to break the spell?"

In one quick movement, Yuffie's left hand shoved itself in the face of the male, and pushed him aside.

"Reno, you perv!" she said, sitting up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Why can't you wake me up normally?" The guard just rolled with laughter. When he finally settled down, he sat across from her, exceptionally casual for a servant of sorts, but from the looks of it, the princess did not mind. The princess held the same expression she had when she woken up; obviously not a morning person. "So what's the game plan for today?"

"Well," Reno replied, taking out a slip of paper, skimming through the list, " Summarizing it up: Apologize for all the pranks you got caught for last week, plan some new ones, archery practice, visit the marketplace to keep up appearances, and …. Give this handsome face a kiss," Reno finished pointing to his right cheek.

"As if, gawd, how'd you even get this job?" Yuffie rebuffed, giving her guard a little kick off her bed, signaling for him to get off. "I'm gonna get ready now."

"Need any assistance?" the redhead asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"You are so gross, Reno."

"Well, if ya need me, you know where to find me," he said, making his exit.

When he finally left, the princess let out a deep sigh and the little frog came hopping out of hiding.

At last, it was not a weird dream. The frog was real, and she was stuck with it.

Expecting to receive some sort of smart remark from the princess, he instead was given a somewhat forlorn look from her. Her mother… what would her mother think of her now?

"_No. This can't end like this."_ She thought. _"There's gotta be something I can do to get out of this. Time to use your good ol' negotiation tactics, Yuffie. Phase one: Look like you are on their side ."_

"So, I guess… since I'm stuck with you… I'll try to make the best out of it."

The frog was shocked. Was this some sort of peace offering?

"So do you like, have a name?"

A name… It's been so long since anyone's acknowledged him by his name …. He pondered on how much information he should give the girl. Should he tell her his story? No, she would never believe it…. What good was it to do so anyway? There was no way of turning back…

His prolonged silence bothered her. Hello? Can't he see that she was trying to get something out of this?

"Um, hey, I'm talking to you-"

"Vincent." The frog softly replied.

"What?"

"Vincent." He repeated.

"Vincent," she said to herself, enunciating the name, immediately snickering. "I didn't know frogs actually had names, especially normal names. I was expecting something really weird. Well, Vincent. I will have you know, that I, Yuffie Kisaragi the future empress of Wutai, am allowing you to be in my presence, so be grateful." If he and still had eyebrows, one would be arched sky high about now. "But do not expect me to do anything like actually touch you or something 'cause that is, oh gawd, so totally gross. Do you know you're, like, oozing twenty-four-seven? Eh-my-gawd, I can't believe I actually let you sleep in my bed like that."

So much for the peace offering.

"Princess," a timid voice called out from beyond the door, "Breakfast is ready."

"Ah! Yuuko, will bring me a plate for me? Um, make that two. I don't feel much like going to the hall this morning." Nor did she feel like sharing her food. Yesterday's events left her stomach growling half the night.

"As you wish, Miss Yuffie, I'll be back in a moment."

The young princess took another look at her froggy companion, thinking of how they would spend today. The facial expression she made while thinking slightly amused Vincent. One eyebrow would be raised, her bottom lip jutted out somewhat cutely, and her cheeks puffed, but in her dark eyes one could see passing thoughts floating through. This continued on for about three minutes.

"Geez, I really don't know what to do with ya," She concluded, shrugging. "I hope you don't want me to, like, tote you around. I would like to keep whatever dignity I have left."

"….."

She has such a thing? Never did the girl fail to make a mockery of him somehow.

"Don't you think it would be weird seeing a princess with a frog all the time?"

"..…."

Yuffie was rather eccentric.

"Come on, I KNOW you know that seeing a princess with a funny lookin' frog is strange. Actually, it's strange for anybody."

"…"

He would suppose it would be odd. Wait …. funny looking? The little frog prince gave out a heavy sigh. "Simply leave the balcony doors open."

She blinked twice in surprise, thinking how easily he gave in to her request. The raven haired princess thought that the dark creature surely would put up some sort of fight, since he didn't hesitate to humiliate her yesterday.

"Oh….okay…"

"Miss Yuffie," Yuuko called out, "I have brought your two plates as you have asked."

Shifting off of her bedside, the princess went to open the door, taking the food from the servant girl. "Thanks a bunch! Oh my gawd, that smells so good!" Yuffie said, sniffing the aroma of the sweet scented meal. Yuuko giggled at the princess actions. "Hey, did the old man say about me skipping out?"

"Your father didn't look shocked actually. Like it was expected for you not to show up. Is… Is everything alright with you?" Yuffie snorted. Guessing by that answer, Godo hasn't told anyone of her situation. Maybe the man was trying to save some of his dignity as well.

"You don't know half the story," the Wutai princess replied. "But I'll be okay." Her servant gave her a skeptical look.

"Alright, if you say so Miss Yuffie. Should you need anything else, please let me know." Yuffie nodded in response, and closed the door with a foot when the girl left. Bringing the two dishes to the bed, the young woman sat one in front of Vincent, and placed the other on a night stand. The two ate in silence for a couple of minutes, until the princess could no longer stand it.

"So….uh, is it really safe for something like yourself to be eating…. Human food?"

"….."

"What did you eat before you came to the castle?"

"…."

"You're right, I probably don't wanna know. So are you like some almost extinct species or something? Cause you're the first frog I've ever seen look like that. And you kinda talk, which is, last time I checked, very abnormal."

"….."

"Not a frog of many words, are ya?" The princess had already finished her plate by then. Vincent was amazed at how quickly she ate, and the vast amount of food she took in. One would wonder where all of it went, since Yuffie was so small in size. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Gawd, if you're gonna make me stick with ya, at least answer me!" she huffed.

"…..I apologize." Silence between the two once again resurfaced.

"_I have no clue if my tactics are working, but I am going to assume they are"_ Yuffie plotted. "_Phase one is fully launched. Phase two should come about pretty quickly Hehehe."_

"It's alright Vince." She repled, a small smirk on her face.

Vince? When in the last few seconds of knowing his name did she find it appropriate to call him that?

"Everything's gonna be a –okay."

* * *

_A/N: Lol. Mischievious little princess, isn't she? I hope you all are enjoying this!_


	5. Chapter 5: The Road Trip

_A/N: Hello everyone! Here's another lovely chapter for you to read. Everything here on out is new material I'm writing, so please forgive me if updates are not as quick. I know things are moving kind of slow right now story wise, but I promise that it should pick up very very soon! But I promise, this will not be a short story. A special thanks to all those that read, follow and review (especially those who review: melissal58 and CupofTeaforAliceandHatter, and all you anon guests!) _

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Road Trip**

_- A Journey of a Lifetime-_

* * *

Yuffie employed "Phase One" of her plan for a little over a week before implementing the next step in the process: although Vincent didn't speak much, she figured that she was making some sort of progress, as now they were on a first name basis. Well, sort of. Vincent never failed with formalities.

The princess analyzed the frog as he sat on her balcony on this morning, sighing to himself (this seemed to be a daily habit he formed), wallowing in what Yuffie was sure was depression. Why should a frog engaged to a future empress be down in the dumps? Okay, sure, his fiancée wasn't too keen on the idea of marriage, but, it was a whole lot better than most frogs will ever get to something like this. Maybe she'd invite him out. A little fresh air might lighten his mood a little. Plus win some brownie points for trust.

"Soooooo, like, Vinnie, I'ma need you to quit that."

Vince, Vinnie, Vinster, Mr. Frog, Vin-Vins, Little Webbed-Foot… the countless nicknames that girl came up with.

"….What is it that I am doing, princess?" he asked, considering he basically did nothing.

"This whole moping around stuff. It's a bit of a buzz kill."

"…."

"Yeaaaaahhhhh. Um. Say, can I ask you something? You don't seem very thrilled with life right now. Can I ask why?"

"…."

"I mean, like, you're here in a nice big palace, going to be taken care of for the rest of your life, marrying me on top of that, yet, you just hang out here with a sad froggy face. I'd say your life sounds pretty legit right now."

Vincent sighed and contemplated telling the truth.

"_That's right, let's get to the root of this problem." _Yuffie thought to herself.

"…. I…..I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!" she questioned, catching herself and then repeating the statement in a much calmer tone. "Ahahaha, I don't understand how you wouldn't know what's bothering you."

"…it's complicated." As it was. First, he didn't know how he became a frog, secondly, he was in Wutai, which, if he remembered correctly, was on the complete other side of Gaia, thirdly, he recently discovered it had been nearly thirty years since all this chaos had happened and lastly, he had no clue what had happened to his kingdom, past lover and family.

The princess let out a sigh of disbelief. "Well, maybe e can start to un-complicate some of this, eh? Today's the last day of the Spring Festival, the town's all decorated, the food's awesome and I hear there's a pretty good fortune teller. Look! I even had a special handbaggy to put you in made just so you can come with," she added, whipping out a small black and red embroidered satchel, made to go across the body.

"…"

"Come on," she urged, doing the most unexpected thing next. She made a face. Not just any face, a puppy dog face, with her eyes looking enlarged, a small little pout, eyelashes batting away, sweetly wooing, "Puuuhhh-leeeeeeease?" at the end of her sentence.

He….could not… resist…. And with a defeated sigh he agreed to the offer.

"_Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, he didn't stand a chance with a babe like me."_

* * *

Yuffie's new purse wasn't too bad. Vincent blended quite well with it, and it was rather comfortable. The only downside was that he was still a secret to the world, not that it bothered him that much, but he could only sneak peaks outside every once and a while. Reno, naturally went along with the two, as it was his job, and the frog watched as both played random games and ate loads of various foods from vendors. He noted that the princess really enjoyed sweets, as she ordered about fifty pounds of confectionaries at each stand that sold them.

"Mmmm, sugar…." Yuffie mumbled as she opened her 7th lollipop.

"Yo, you are gonna get cavities at the rate your going, ya know?" the red-head warned. The princess brushed him off, and stopped in front of one of the houses on the street.

"Hey! This is where that fortune teller I was hearing about is supposed to be at!"

"Are you sure your highness? It looks kind of abandoned to me."

"Yesssss, I'm sure this is it. Reno, stay here outside while I check it out."

"I don't know, yo, it could be dangerous…"

"Oh puh-lease, the 'White Rose of Wutai' lives on danger! I'll be fine, just wait out here."

Opening and closing the door behind her, she walked into the lobby of the place nudging at the bag for the frog to come out. Vincent complied, poking his little head out. The room was dimly lit, with soft sounds of meowing coming from behind the walls.

"Ey there lassie, what can I do ya' for?" a strange voice called out.

"Huh?! Who said that?" Yuffie quickly responded, slightly startled.

"Cait Sith, at your service."

A small cat wearing a crown came out of the shadows, riding what looked to be a moogle on steroids. The frog prince sat emotionless at the sight while the princess tried very hard not to laugh at it. But she failed miserably.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAHAHAHA!"

"Excuse me, lassie, what, may I ask, are you laughing at?"

"Ha, ha, ha! Oh gawd, that's just… oh, my sides, ah ha ha…Give me a sec….Ok, ok, I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting that…. Oh man, that was good….Look, I hear you give out some fortunes and I need one for me and my friend here," she stated, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Yes I do, but I think I'll pass on this one," the cat huffed, ready to throw the girl out.

"No, no, don't be like that, I really need your help.." she replied, trying to control her urge to giggle. "Me and this one."

"Hmmm…. Only because I'd like to see what kind of fortune the frog gets. Oh, but don't hold it against me if it's not a great prediction," he skeptically replied. Rocking the moogle back and forth a couple of times, it finally produced a result on a piece of paper from it's mouth, which Yuffie made a small "Ewww" before retrieving it.

"Alright Vin-vin. Let's see what you got… The end is where the beginning is… Your lucky color is….. red?… What kind of bogus fortune is this?"

"Wait , wait, let me try again…." the cat tried the similar action before and Yuffie reached for the new fortune.

"The key to the future, lies in the pocket of the past. Look Cait, give me something I can work with here," the small girl huffed. By now, Vincent was convinced that nothing this cat said was of any use.

"Woah there lassie, let's see what it'll give out for you." Once more the cat did his little routine, and a now irritated Yuffie looked at her new fortune.

"Accept the next invitation you receive, it is to a new adventure…. P.S. Beware of too much sugar…. Soooooo. Yeah. You're a fraud. There is no such thing as too much sugar," she said, turning around to leave, while Vincent simply got carried away with her.

"Hey, say what you want lady, but sometimes they come true!"

Outside, the two met Reno, who was occupied with some stray cats unaware that the Wutai heiress had returned.

"Awww, you guys are so cute!" he cooed, picking up one stating, "I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy." the kitten meowed in response. Yuffie stood there for a moment thinking how ridiculous the name "Squishy" sounded, then made a fake coughing noise to grab his attention.

"Ah, Yuffs! How long have you been standing there, yo?"

"Long enough. The suns beginning to set, we should head back now, yeah? Don't want to get the old man thinking I ran away again."

"Sure thing, princess. Let's get you home."

* * *

Once back inside the castle, the future empress was greeted by a servant girl, and given a small white package before she entered her bed chambers. When Yuffie was sure that she was alone again, she opened the bag to let her frog companion out.

"Say Vince," she began, "What did ya think of the town? Awesome right? Although that fortune teller was pretty lame."

"…. It was….. interesting."

"Yeah, spring's the best," she continued, chatting on about all the different snack options available at the festivities while investigating her package from earlier, and pulling some of the ribbons that held it together. Inside she found a envelope and a small box of yet more sugary snacks insides, which earned a delight "squee" from the young girl. It piqued the frog's interest even more.

Ripping the envelope open she read the inscribed note card to herself.

"Awwww! It's an invite from Zack. He's having a birthday ball. And he sent me my faves from over there!" the princess exclaimed, popping a chocolate covered candy in her mouth. She then had an epiphany. Maybe that dumb cat from earlier was on to something. Maybe Zack would know something to help her out of her engagement. Couldn't hurt to try. Her head snapped quickly in the direction of the frog, almost surprising him.

"…What is the matter princess?" he asked.

"Vinnie, it looks like we're takin' a road trip."


	6. Chapter 6: Smashing Pumpkins

_A/N: Hello again! Finally got a chance to updating this :) I hope ya'll enjoy it!_

_CupofTeaforAliceandHatter: Yes, I hope to mature Yuffie a bit, and get Vinnie to not be soooo… broody._

_Ariever: Yes, I couldn't help but put the "Finding Nemo" reference in there._

_Littlemsstrawberry: I'm so glad you love it! I hope you continue to do so 3_

* * *

**Chapter Six: Smashing Pumpkins**

_- And a budding friendship-_

* * *

Five and a half days. It had been five and a half days since the heiress, her guard and the frog had boarded the ship to the land of Gongaga. Yuffie couldn't wait get to get off the ship. Its constant rocking over the ocean made her nauseous the entire time. She barely got any sleep.

Hurling whatever could possibly still be in her stomach out to sea for the ninth time, Reno rubbed her backed while trying to get the ship's crew not to stare at the sight, all the while avoiding the chunks of nasty coming from the girl.

"Ugh…," she wheezed, "Are we there yet?" At this point of time, she felt like jumping off of the side just to put an end to the misery. Almost.

"They say it shouldn't be long now, some of the landmarks according to the crew say we'd be there before midnight. Though, you'd miss the majority of the party anyway." The red head answered back. "But, say princess, maybe you ought to try to get some rest, don't wanna look like you're suffering from 'Death Sentence' at the ball now."

After dry heaving a few times more, she finally made her way back to her cabin, leaving Reno outside as he seemed to enjoy the breeze by the deck. There, she face planted herself onto the bed, slightly bouncing up from the impact, waking the black frog up from his afternoon nap on the pillow nearby.

"Whhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?" Yuffie whined into the mattress. But they both knew why she was going through this. After all, it was her idea anyway.

* * *

_**The Week Before**_

"Vinnie, it looks like we're takin' a road trip."

A road trip? Was she really going to listen to that incompetent cat from earlier? What could she possibly gain from this? And then Vincent realized that the girl was looking to profit in some manner.

"May I ask why?" he questioned skeptically.

"_He's on to me_", she thought. _"Better to just get it out now. Gotta suck it up and use my girlish charms."_ Shuffling closer to the frog, she picked him up in her bare hands (something she tried not to grimace at doing) and in a sing-song fashion said his name. She was…surprising cute. It caught the creature off guard for a moment.

"Vinnnnncennnt ," she began, adding as much saccharine to her voice as possible, "You see, I don't see why it is you'd like to be here with me. I mean, I know that I'm pretty awesome, and there are some pretty big benefits that come along with the package, but I have this feeling that it's not really what you want."

"…..." Vincent averted his eyes from her gaze.

"… I'm right, aren't I?" Now was her chance. It was now or never. "Vinnie, tell me… If there's something else I can do for you, let me! No point in going all through this if neither of us want it. Come on, let me help." She added, gently. "_Please say 'yes', please say 'yes', please say 'yes'…_"

He mulled over the thought of once again sharing his story, but instead, simply stated what his heart really wanted. Although he was certain she could not grant his request or what he would do afterword.

"…Princess, if you can transform me into a human, then I will overlook our previous agreement. "

At first, the Wutainese girl was taken aback by his answer, and then in a strange whirlwind of fast paced movements and actions, Yuffie suddenly appeared with three things: a "Maiden's Kiss", a remedy, and a transform materia.

"One of these is bound to work," she muttered to herself. Anything to save her from her fate or having to get on an atrocious throw-up inducing boat.

The princess quickly poured the "Maiden's Kiss" over the frog's head. She waited for something to happen. But nothing did.

Next thing Vincent knew he was forced a remedy. Still nothing.

Dissatisfied of the lack of "humanizing" to the frog, Yuffie then proceeded to try the transform materia. A total waste of MP. Defeated at her attempt for instant gratification, the princess sulked. It seemed damned near impossible for her to make this happen. But…. The White Rose of Wutai never gives up! Or something like that.

The frog, now recovering to the trauma recently inflicted upon, hopped over to her side, to see what her next move would be.

"Well Vince," she stated, her mood to return to its usual self, "Lucky for you, You don't have much to pack."

* * *

_**Back to the Present Day**_

_Must… Not… Give… Up…_ The knots in her stomach right now, gawd, did she ever wish Vincent had wanted something so much simpler….

"The things I go through for you…." She jokingly moaned.

"….. Are you… feeling better?

" Is this concern I hear? Wow, I wasn't expecting that!" Yuffie mused, smiling childishly. Hearing that somehow made her forget about the nauseating effects the ship was causing. After all, every time she spoke to the frog, she was met with either few words or just plain awkward silence. And a new idea came across her mind. "Hey Vin-vin, I'd know something you could do to make me a little better."

"And what may that be?" Vincent asked, curious to what her request might entail of.

"I want you to tell me a story, a bedtime story."

"Pardon me?" The girl was always so unexpected.

"Yeah, a nice bedtime story. You know, when I was a little girl, I used to get motion sickness just by riding around in carriages. My mom'd tell me a story to distract me from the whole thing. Eventually I got used to the rides."

" … I am not quite sure that any story I could tell would qualify as a proper tale for the occasion."

"Oh come on, you've gotta know something! What kind of deprived childhood did you have that you can't even tell me at least one? Besides, I'd really like to hear you do it. I've been thinking lately, even though you don't talk much, for a frog, you kind of have a really cool voice."

"A 'cool' voice?" Vincent was surprised by the former comment. No one had ever commented on the sound of his voice. He made a quiet chuckle at the thought.

"Like, ch'yeah! It's kinda mysterious, slightly creepy, but all together soothing at the same time. I'd just always wondered what it would sound like if you would go, 'Once upon a Time'"she doted, doing her best Vincent imitation at the phrase. "Pleeeeaaassseeeee?"

As much as he wanted to vehemently deny her request, the amount of cuteness Yuffie exuded, with her round chocolate eyes, batting away at him, he just couldn't turn her down. When did she become so adorable anyway? He let out a sigh and tried his to remember some sort of old folktale.

"…..Once upon a time, in -"

The princess let out a snicker. "Sorry Vince, it's a whole lot funnier than I imagined it. Please, continue."

He started once again with his tale, and halfway through it, Vincent found the girl sound asleep, with a small smile on her face. The scene in front of the black frog brought one to his as well.

* * *

Vincent had never in his life seen anyone so happy to be on land. The way Yuffie ranted on about her joy to see dirt astonished him, and the crew unloading the dock.

"Hey, uh princess, I know you're super excited to see land and all, but we gotta get a move on if you want to make this ball on time," Reno reminded her.

"We're only late cause it took so long to get the old man to lend me some cash." She spitefully retorted. It took her three hours to convince Godo to give her enough gil for her journey. Luckily, her cause to undo her current engagement for the sake of restoring "honor", was the deciding factor in his decision to give in to her wishes.

After the red-head guard secured the reins on the carriage's chocobo, and they began riding along towards the Gongaga's royal castle.

"Aren't you excited Vince? This will be your first ball."

If only she knew. This would actually be his 13th ball.

"I'm not that big of a fan of formal dresses and shindigs like these, but there's always a ton of awesome food. And let's not forget the desserts." She almost began to drool over the thought of the sugar filled treats that waited to be devoured by her. But the girl couldn't let that happen, otherwise she'd ruin her dress, which as much as a hassle it was to wear it, she kind of liked it.

"What about dancing?" He questioned.

"Dancing? Gawd, I love to dance! But… I.. I kinda have two left feet, so I'd rather not embarrass myself," she added sheepishly.

"Hmmmm…"

The midnight toll coming from the upcoming town interrupted the conversation between the two.

"Midnight already."

"Don't worry Vinnie, Zack loves to party pretty late. So we won't miss any of the sna-"

Out of nowhere, the sound of Reno's voice screaming, a chocobo screeching, and the abrupt crash of the carriage into another, sends Vincent's small body out of the window, and Yuffie to the other side of the coach. After regaining herself back, she stepped out to see what exactly just happened.

Examining the area, she found Reno in a sitting the driver's seat in a state of shock, and an obviously poor lady hurriedly picking up what looked like pieces of a pumpkin and mice of off the ground. "_Awww man, looks like the crazies are out now."_

"Uh, excuse me miss, " the princess began, "do you know what just happened here?"

The woman rose up, and took a nervous glance at the princess, who had a pair of gorgeous emerald eyes, a neatly braided chestnut ponytail and was very pretty once Yuffie had a chance to really look at her. It was a crime to see her as a hobo.

"I'm... really sorry about this, I do hope no one was hurt," she replied looking at Reno, then looking over her shoulder.

"Ah, I'm good, and I think he'll be okay."

"I'm so relieved to hear that. Um, I'm sorry to be rude, but I really must be leaving now, " the poor girl said, rushing off into the woods.

"Sure, no prob….lem?… That was totally weird…" Yuffie commented to herself, making her way to her guard to bring him back into reality.

"It just turned into a pumpkin.. like poof! With no warning. A wild pumpkin carriage appears!"

"Reno, snap out of it!" she yelled shaking him back and forth. A gust of royal guards on their chocobos raced by. "You're spewing nonsense!"

"How did you not see that! It turned into a pumpkin!"

"I have no clue what you're talking about dude! But you are making miss my snacks!"

Once the red-head had settled back down, the heiress to Wutai re-entered her coach, sighing to herself.

"That was totally crazy, right Vinnie?... Vinnie?... Vincent?" When she heard no reply, she started to look around. Where did he go? He wasn't inside. She called to him out the window. Still no answer.

"Your highness, who is Vincent?" Reno questioned, looking behind him.

"Ahaha, um, no one." She then sank back into her seat, wondering what may have happened to him as the carriage started to move forward again. She tried to look at it as a celebratory occasion, as she could totally go back to being free from this commitment, but the pang of guilt overrode such thoughts.

She had just abandoned Vincent.

* * *

_A/N: Dun-dun-dun! Oh no! Whatever has happened to Vincent? And will the crazy hobo lady ever be seen again? Stay tuned everyone!_


	7. Chapter 7: If The Shoe Fits

_A/N: Hey all! Here's a new chapter for your enjoyment! Sooo, I just wanna say, if you can leave a review, that would be awesome. Reviews let me know that this is being read, lol. To all of you who have already written a review, thank you. And a special thanks to my followers or those who promote. :) _

_**Ariever**__: Haha, yesss. I was listening to some Pokemon music when I wrote that line. As for Reno, no, the hobo lady is not for him. I have other plans in mind for the Turk._

_**CupofTeaforAliceandHatter:**__ Vinnie will be fine, he's a main character after all. BTW thank you for your continuous reviews, I truly appreciate them._

_**Bunny-chan2022:**__ Thank you for your love! I too am an avid Disney princess fan! So I have a lot of fun when I write this. X3_

* * *

**Chapter Seven: If The Shoe Fits…**

_-Searching for sole-mates-_

* * *

The grand palace of Gongaga was in quite a scene when Yuffie's carriage arrived. Guards were scurrying around while the commoners seemed to be a buzz with some sort of news. It was in such disarray, that barely anyone noticed her royal introduction.

"Geez, what's all the fuss about?" the heiress of Wutai muttered to her red headed guard, as she was clearly being ignored.

"Hmm, don't know, Yuffs, but it must be something big, yo."

"I'll say."

A young lady, with blond asymmetrical bob ran towards the two, panting as she reached them. "I'm so sorry about this, the whole place is in an uproar at the moment. Please excuse… Reno?!"

"Lainey?"

The two seemed in shock to see each other, as Yuffie was flat out confused.

"Uh, so you guys know each other?"

"Ah, yeah.. we're old.. friends…" Reno explained, though it didn't sound too convincing. The dark haired princess raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno about that…. As I was saying, your grace, I sincerely apologize for all of this. By the way my name is Elena. It's very nice to meet your acquaintance, your majesty," she said giving a small curtsy.

" Eh, you can just call me Yuffie, and It's totally cool to meet ya too. So what's happening here?"

"Well… I guess you can say the belle of the ball has stolen the prince's heart. However, now she's disappeared without a trace. So has Prince Zack, although I'm certain he's still here in the castle somewhere. I was actually searching for him right before you arrived."

"Well, that might explain some of the bitch faces some of these gals got on right now," Reno commented, viewing some of the bitter facial expressions of some of the women he had seen pass by earlier. "I'm single, ladies!" he called out to them, some of them dismissing him off, while a set few looked like they might take his offer. Yuffie cleared her throat and gave him a menacing glare. "Aww, don't be jealous Yuffs, you know afterwards I'm coming back to you."

"Do whatever it is you want, I don't care," she huffed in reply, "After I find that birthday cake, I'm going to find Zack. " She then proceeded to make a beeline towards the dessert table.

Reno gave a light chuckle, and his former blond "friend" turned to him, giving him a slight glare as well.

"….I do hope that you aren't giving her the wrong impression, Reno."

"Huh? Come on, she knows I'm just playing around."

"Hmmmm. I wonder…"

* * *

Yuffie had made them cut one of the biggest slices of cake she had ever indulged. Today was not going so well. Maybe the amount of sugar would help compensate for it. Just a little bit? Nope. Still feeling horrible. Not to mention she knew absolutely no one at this party. She was hoping to run into her best friend, the princess of Nibel, to share news of all that's been happening to her, and of course vice versa.

The princess let out a deep sigh. _"I hope Vince will be alright. I mean he got lost in the woods, and he's a frog, so out in nature he'd be okay right? Ack, look at me now. I've gotten attached somewhere along the way here. Afterall, this is what I wanted … Enough of this! I'm going to find Zack and see what's up." _Her first stop would be outside, most likely in the menagerie, as she knew the prince loved to be outside, and hiding amongst the animals made being hidden for long periods of time quite easy. The prince also had a knack for liking to climb things. She had played enough of hide and seek with him throughout her youth to know that.

Yuffie's senses proved correct, as she found him deep in thought, lazing in the high branches of a large willow tree, as he seemed to be examining a glass slipper.

"Hey you!" she called out.

A pair of bright blue eyes met hers, and a smile crept up on his face when he recognized the Wutainese princess.

"Yuffie! Well, this night has been full of surprises. I wasn't expecting you," Zack replied, making his way back down the tree. When he reached the ground, he picked a few leaves out of his long spiky raven locks.

"Hmph. Happy birthday, old man. The party's inside, by the way."

"Thanks, although, technically speaking, my birthday was yesterday. Anyway, I haven't been really into the whole ball thing, it was just a set up by my father to find me a bride. Been here basically since it started."

"And rumor has it that you might of? What's this here?" she asked, snatching the shoe from the prince's hands. The princess examined the glass heel closely. Her feet would be too small to fit it. Plus, how on gaia could anyone walk in such uncomfortable shoes?

"A souvenir from the girl I'm going to marry."

"Wow, you are completely serious about that aren't you? Amazing." Zack was notorious for being a notorious flirt with the opposite sex, minus the perverseness her red-headed guard seemed to exude.

"Well," he started, scratching the back of his head, "I gotta find her first. This is my only clue. Say, you're here for a bit right? Help me find her. Help me find my sole-mate. Get it?"

"Whaaaa…?" Yuffie couldn't believe that he was asking such a favor or that he had such a lame joke.

"Look, two heads are better than one. Plus the ladies can get kind of crazy when they find out they can marry into royalty. Wha'da you say, huh? I'll send you a whole crate full of our finest pastries. Plus even a fully mastered "Dash" materia."

"My mind is so blown right now, how dare you entice me with sweets and materia at the same time."

"I knew you couldn't resist, kid. For now, let's get back to this party. You didn't all my cake did you?"

"I should have. By the way, where's Tifa? I can't find her anywhere."

"Tifa? Ah, poor thing, I guess you haven't heard yet. On her way here, her ship encountered a bad storm and she went overboard."

Yuffie's eyes widened and her arms tensed at the news.

"But don't worry, everyone ended up being safe and sound, she's recuperating back in Nibelhiem." He quickly added, to calm her down.

"What a relief, you scared me there." _Still, I ought to go see if she's alright. _"For that, I'm definitely eating all of your cake now."

"Heh, sure thing. You know, we're going to start searching as soon as you're done right?"

"Gawd. I haven't even been here an hour yet."

* * *

Vincent woke up to the morning sun shining on his little face, noticing he was half immersed in water put in s a small wooden bowl. He heard a faint melody of someone humming a song to herself. Looking at his new surroundings, he found himself to be in a rundown yet clean and somehow cheerful room (probably due to the flowers and feeble attempts to make décor out of interesting objects), in which he assumed must have belong to a peasant. He hopped out of the bowl in order to further investigate scene until a voice behind him startled him.

"Oh, you're awake. I'm so glad you're alright. You almost suffocated in my glass shoe, which I'm still trying to figure out how you stuck there in the first place." The owner of this sweet voice came into view, examining the frog as she spoke. She had quite the lovely figure, fair skin, delicate facial features, and a natural grace of air around her. The girl almost reminded him of…

"…Lucrecia.." he let slip out. But she seemed to show no sign of being caught off guard by his speaking. Instead she giggled.

"What is a lu-kure-see-ahh?"

"….."

"Ah, the strong silent type, aren't we. Well, suit yourself."

"I am Vincent."

"My name is Aerith. I've never seen a frog that quite looks like you, so I'm not sure where you would call home. But for now, Vincent, you're more than welcome to stay here."

"_What a strong sense of kindness she has_." Vincent then noticed who she casually began conversing with bluebirds and mice at her window side_. "Does she…understand animals? Is that why she didn't seem surprised when I spoke?"_ Even though he was a frog, he could not communicate with other creatures. He couldn't croak or ribbit as a matter of fact.

"Aerith! Aerith, come down at once!" an older woman's voice shouted from below. The brunette let out a long sigh before getting up to respond.

"I hear you…..Ah, no more time for dilly-dallying anymore. Well, I've got to get going now. Stay out of trouble!" she jokingly said, making her way down old wooden stairs.

Aerith was quite intriguing. Vincent thought best to follow her in secrecy and see how the girl kept in high spirits despite her circumstances. As they continued into a hallway of sorts, the frog had become dumbfounded by the change of scenery. It seemed that he had only been in a servant's chambers as the rest of the home was actually quite lavish, and richly decorated.

"Yes stepmother," the brunette greeted to an older lady with a blonde updo, dressed in a fine silk crimson dress.

Stepmother? She's…. using her step daughter as a servant?

"Quickly, I need you to have breakfeast served at once. And I mean hurry, on with it."

Aerith quickly complied and made her way to the kitchen. Meanwhile, the stepmother made her way into two other rooms, waking up her other daughters, which Vincent assessed them to be… well let's say Hojo actually would have put them to shame in a beauty pageant. He shivered at the previous analogy.

"Ruby, Rose, get up this instant!" he heard her yell.

"What fooooorrrr?" a whiny reply sang back. The two girls put up quite a fight trying to stay underneath their bed sheets.

"Get up you ingrates, the prince is coming here! As we speak!"

"The prince!"

Vincent found that he was put in a convenient position. The prince meant that he would have a way back to the castle. And in the castle he could find the heiress of Wutai. He could imagine the joy she must be feeling at the moment, thinking she could escape their agreement.

Aerith, in quite the balancing act returned with breakfast to serve to the bickering trio. She began setting up the places at a nearby table stand in the room.

"What for? What business could he possibly want here?" Ruby inquired.

"That girl at the ball last night. When she left, she dropped her slipper on the way out."

Aerith turned a bit to listen more closely to the conversation.

"And sooooo?" Rose responded.

"No one knows who she is. Not even he, and he has been searching all over the kingdom for her. So whoever can fit this slipper, will become the prince's bride." This set the two daughters into a chatting frenzy. Vincent could not believe he was subjecting himself to such noisy gossip.

Aerith dropped the cup of tea she was filling. "…the prince's…. bride? He was the prince? Wow…."

Her stepmother glanced the girl over, seething with annoyance that her stepdaughter had inadvertently spilt tea all over the carpet and had not bothered to begin cleaning up after it.

"Look at what you've done, you fool! Clean it up at once!" she barked.

All this loud chattering was beginning to give the frog a headache. He hopped to a comfortable place to escape it for a moment. What he saw within the next few minutes shocked him. This cruel stepmother of Aerith's was dragging the poor girl back into her room, locking it from the inside. He could hear her sobbing on the other side, begging to be let out.

"Listen to me you little wench, you think you are so clever! I don't know how you managed to make whatever it is you did happen last night, but you will not get the best of me! I will make sure of it!"

Watching her leave her crying stepdaughter to her own devices, Vincent took pity on the girl. She did not deserve this type of injustice. He didn't consider himself the heroic type. But at that moment, he vowed to figure out a way to get that key for her sake.

* * *

_A/N: Whew! I didn't know where to stop! Btw I put a disclaimer on the first chapter, but will put it here for those who have already gotten this far. As much as a "Yuffie x Vincent" centered story it is, I think I'm going to venture out to other couples as well, like the obvious " Zack x Aerith" thing I've got going on here. Don't worry, the majority of chapters should have them in it. Thinking about putting some small side stories in-between the main chapters. Tell me what you think! BTW can you guess who Aerith's step mama is?_


	8. Aerith: Hope Is A Glass Slipper

_A/N: Yay! It's an update! Well sort of. This begins a couple of side back stories that I have been thinking about doing in-between chapters about other characters, which will be like one-shots, but will flow along with the main story. They will be written in first-person. I hope you don't mind them. I have some really fun ideas concerning other characters. Please tell me your thoughts on these! I love reviews, they keep me going, and also help!_

_CupofTeaforAliceandHatter: __Thanks for pointing that out. I think I've fixed it. And yes Scarlet is correct. I have alternate plans for Rosso the Crimson._

_melissal58:__ Yessss, I too love Disney princesses. I'm glad you are enjoying my fanfic :)_

_Bunny-chan2022__: Haha, thanks! Next update will be the continuation of the story, I promise!_

_Ariever:__ Cloud's not in this story… yet._

_Knock-out92:__ Thank you! The woman in question is Scarlet._

* * *

**Aerith**

"_**Hope Is A Glass Slipper"**_

* * *

It wasn't always like this, you know? Me, doing chores from the crack of dawn til after dinner was served, my hands feeling as worn out as these rags I'm wearing. In fact, if someone would have said this would be my future ten years ago, I wouldn't even fathom it. But, this is my life, unfortunately.

Can't complain too much, though. I still have a roof over my head and food to eat. I could be out slumming it around like those poor homeless people I see when I'm out in the marketplace. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

"Aerith! Aerith, the girls and I are going now! I expect you'll have this place in tip top shape on our return?" my step-mother, Scarlet, yells out to me, with the same nasty tone she uses.

"Yes, mother!" I reply, secretly happy that the three will be making their exit soon. They're going to Costa del Sol for a weekend. Without me. And I am ever so grateful. I see the three of them out along with Scarlet's red Persian cat. Ruby and Rose, my step-sisters, make snide remarks about all of the fun and shopping they'll be able to do, as if I'd really care what baubles they'll return with.

"Have fun and be safe," I wish them as I close the door on their haughty backs. I watch out of a window as their carriage pulls away, heaving a great sigh of relief when it turns the corner. Freedom at last! I always look forward to their little vacations away, although, sometimes I am a little jealous. I'd love to just travel around the world. But it seems like a faraway dream. Oh well, here's to hoping for it some day, when I can find the funds to leave this wretched place.

Why would a step-mom do this you ask? Well, I've always felt like it had to do with my father's love for my mother, who passed away when I was seven. Two years later he married Scarlet, but never seemed to care for her as much as mother. However, in his defense, she always seemed so materialistic to me, and didn't really show affection. I can't say the same in her choice of clothing though.

Father was a high ranking noble man of some sort in the Shinra kingdom, so we used to live in the Grand Capital of Midgar, and the country villa we live in now in Gongaga, was just to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Unfortunately, after father's death four years ago, my family has pretended not to care about the family fortune and has been spending it all on meaningless things such as, vacationing in Costa del Sol, for example. So last month our estate in Midgar was sold to keep squandering the money on more useless things, and we are now permanently residing here.

Gongaga's not bad though. The air is fresh and clean, and it's peaceful. Not much happens around these parts, unless you farm or you're nobility. Since I'm neither of the two, I have to find my own form of entertainment, when I'm not doing chores that is.

The weird thing is…. I kind of like chores as hobbies. Cooking, baking, sewing, and even cleaning, is sort of therapeutic. If it wasn't constant, it really would be no bother. So recently over the past couple of years, I've gotten into gardening. Not here at the estate, but at an abandoned barn I found in a field not too far from here. I like abandoned places, I always feel like their lonely and need company. My personal favorite in Midgar happened to be a church. Ahh, I hope she's doing well.

So I pick up a favorite book of mine, an old blanket, some crackers, left over fruits and cheeses along with me in a basket, along with a full water pail, and set off for my lunch date with Mr. Barn. Yes, I do name places, it's quite a charming quirk I have. One other quirk about me that I have is speaking to animals. No, I'm not crazy, I really can understand what their all saying. Most of the time they talk about food, so conversations are…. well, not that intellectual. They are animals after all. I don't get much social interaction these days, so I take what I can get.

"Aeris has cheese-cheese" some mice celebrate, scurrying towards my feet. Ah, the mice and their cheese-cheese. So cute! I dig in my basket and break off a small piece form a mozzarella block, tossing it to them.

"Sharing is caring fellas, don't party too hard now that the cat has left the building." They squee in delight and talk smack about the feline who harasses them at every opportunity. I'll admit that Rosso is quite bothersome for a cat. Such a primadonna, like her master. I've lost track of the amount of scratches I have suffered from her claws. But enough about those who basically treat me like a stepping stool, I want to enjoy this slice of freedom. "Alright, see you later guys!"

* * *

Well, that was quite a surprise. Here I'm expecting to have a quiet picnic with Mr. Barn, and here before me is a man how just fell onto my garden. I'm slightly upset that's he's crushed my lilies, but more worried that he may not be alive.

"Helloooooooo?" I say, poking him in the back. He groans a little, then rolls over slowly, which brings great relief to me. When he opens his eyes, I give a little "Horray!"

He blinks a couple more times, before setting his gaze on me. Wow, he's got some gorgeous eyes; they are just as blue as the sky, if not more so. As a matter of fact, he's actually really handsome. So much, it kind of makes me nervous. Raven hair that strangely hangs in a spiked fashion, tall, lean but muscular all at once. Oh shoot, he might have caught me staring.

" ...hea-heaven?" he sputters out. Oh, he thinks he's dead. That's quite funny.

"Not quite." I reply, as he sits up, looking at me with those eyes of his.

"...An angel?" Now I'm flattered. My face feels like it's on fire.

"No," I answer, shaking my head, hoping that I'm not blushing. I turn and point at the ceiling to hide it. "You fell from the sky. Scared me." I keep my back turned as he continues to question me.

"So you saved me, huh?"

"Not really... "Hell-llooo!" That's all I did." I hear him give a warm hearty laugh at my answer.

"Thank you so much, miss. I have to repay you somehow," he states. I don't feel like I did anything worth being paid for, and peek over my shoulder to object.

"Don't worry about it. "

"No, no, I insist. Hey, how about one date?"

"What is that? Don't be silly!" I quickly say, hoping that my blush doesn't creep back onto my surprised expression. "B-Besides, I'm already on a date." I point over to my picnic spread, which, by the way, is neatly set up. I was getting ready to enjoy it, until he fell on my freshly watered flora.

"Oh la la, so where is the lucky man?" he asks looking for another person. I giggle aloud.

"You fell on him." The man's eyes go wide, and quickly stands to his feet, trying to look below him for a sign of a human being. I laugh again at his attempt to do so. "I'm having a date with the barn. Not an actual person."

He looks at me for a split second with confusion, and then chuckles at my statement. "Well then," he starts to say while waltzing over to the food I set out, "I hope he doesn't mind me butting in." The mysterious man sits, glances over the choice of food, picks up a few grapes and pops them into his mouth. He smiles at me, motioning me to join him. His smile is just so enticing. I get myself settled on the blanket hoping that my nervousness doesn't show through. I've never really been this close to a man before, asides from my father. He interrupts my thoughts saying, "Wow, the barn's a bit of a cheap date, I would have at least bought some fine wine to go with the food."

"Actually, he had flowers, til you crushed them," I reprimand, sticking my tongue out afterwards. He blushes at my statement, and scratches the back of his head.

"Sorry about that. Wow, that's some garden you've got here, I've never seen flowers that pretty before."

"Really?"

He nods his head in reply. "Yeah, never in my life. Almost as pretty as you." He leans in closer, his face in mine, gazing at me with those wonderfully azure eyes. I think he's trying for a kiss. But I'm a lady, and I certainly do not kiss on the first date. Is this a date? Oh, it seems that now I'm on my real first date. How did this happen?

"Oh, you," I say playfully pushing his shoulder, trying to get a little distance between the two of us. It seems that this stranger is quite the "prince charming" type. Although, I'll pretend not to fall for his advances. After all we don't even know each other's names. Probably for the best, as meeting again will be near impossible once Scarlet returns. If he came looking for me, she'd probably make sure I was locked up forever.

"You should sell them," he continues on, grabbing a few crackers to snack on "Make the town full of flowers, and your pocket full of money."

I slowly repeat his statement to myself. Never thought of it that way. And I could raise some funds to leave home! Maybe he's secretly an angel sending me a message. No, scratch that, angels wouldn't throw pick up lines. My so called could be angel, digs in one of his pockets to hand me a few gil.

"Oh, no, no, no! You don't have to give me any-"

"Nonsense, I destroyed some of your product. Take it," he says, closing my fingers with his hand on mine. I try to conceal yet another blush on my face.

"What were you doing up there anyway?

"Napping. Well, actually I'm playing a game of hide and go seek with some friends of mine. I've hid up there so long I fell asleep. Seems like I might've been a little too heavy to be up there." I can't help but to giggle. What kind of grown man still plays children's games? It must be nice to afford this kind of luxury. He goes on about being quite skilled at the game, mentioning with most ridiculous places he's hidden around town to play, a few voices could be heard coming towards here.

"Certainly the young master would not think to hide here."

"No, Elena, you have no idea what he is capable of."

"But this place is falling apart!"

"Well, it's time for me to take my leave," my date says, placing a small kiss on my hand. "This was quite enjoyable. Next time, it's my treat." He quickly runs out of the front doors, quickly receiving the attention of some people outside, who are now chasing him down the dirt road to town. He's pretty fast on his feet.

Strangely, it now feels a bit lonely in here without him. And one day, I hope we can meet again.

* * *

Finally, I have all the supplies I need to go to the ball. Since meeting that stranger in the barn, I took his advice and started selling flowers in the marketplace in my free time. Of course all behind Scarlet's back. She's actually allowing me to go, but only because it's by royal decree. Regardless, I'm still excited to go.

I'm using my mother's wedding dress as a base, and updating it a little bit with some new trims and altering a couple of seams.

That is when I'm not doing chores. And the extra ones she randomly gave on top of that. I know she's trying to screw me over, but I'm not giving up that easy.

* * *

I finished the dress the night before the ball. Stayed up many hours late doing it, with a little help from the animals in this place. It's so beautiful, mother would be so proud of my work. I doze off to sleep, knowing the next night will be like tasting the fruit of all my labor for the dress.

* * *

I'm out here in the barn again. Crying like a baby. A girl can only take so much. Scarlet found out about my little side business. And her cruel offspring cut my dress, my mother's wedding dress, to shreds. All while laughing that ridiculous "Kya, ha, ha!" they get from their mother.

I give up. It's too hard. I know life isn't fair, but this?

"What is the use?" I whimper out loud. "I've lost hope."

"Now my dear child, you should never lose hope," a sweet elderly voice says. I'm a little surprised that someone else would be out this late. "Hope is what keeps us going."

"I don't think I can."

"Oh, dilly dally shilly shally. We'll fix you right up."

"But how? And who are you?"

"I'm your fairy godmother, Elmyra. And worry not, a little magic will have you there in no-time."

* * *

And with the help of her magic, I found myself at the ball, a little lost at the palace, roaming what I think is a menagerie. She even gave me glass slippers! Believe it or not, they're quite comfy. If only I could figure out where I'm supposed to be going.

"Excuse me miss, you look a bit lost," a familiar voice says behind me. I turn and face this person, and find myself looking into the pair of amazing eyes that belong to my fallen angel.

"If it isn't my flower girl!" He warmly greets, flashing that dazzling smile of his. "You look absolutely stunning!"

I forget about the ball in its entirety, about trying food that are considered delicacies, dancing the night away, or even meeting this prince who is looking for a bride, and just enjoy the night with my mysterious angel out here, chatting away about different subjects.

The midnight toll sounds, and I'm suddenly aware that I've stayed out longer than anticipated. I scurry away as quickly as possible, with numerous shouts of "Wait!" behind my back, escaping just in time before the magic wears off. Asides from the minor crash I had trying to run away, I'd say the night was quite the success.

I didn't have a chance to get his name or give him mine. But I am so grateful to Elmyra for giving me the opportunity to meet him again. And a glass slipper that reminds me to never give up hope.

* * *

_A/N: Ta-da! That was quite long for me to write! I hope ya'll enjoyed that side story. I stole a bit of the CC script and inserted that in it, lol. I'm hoping to release the next chapter for the main story by the end of this week. :) I know I'm looking forward to see Vinnie-frog do some heroics. BTW, I've started a new fic which will be a slow building of Cloti romanticals called "Off Pitch!" Check it out sometime! And don't forget to leave a review about this story! _


	9. Chapter 8: Cinderella Story

_A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed my last mini-story chapter thingy. Since I got good responses on it, I shall continue to do them. I've got some really interesting back stories for later chapters. :) And I've always thought Zack to be a total sweetheart to Aerith, I can't imagine their relationship to be nothing less that cavity inducing._

_Special thanks to **Bunny-chan2022, melissal58, Ariever**, and **CupofTeaforAliceandHatter**, for leaving me reviews, like always! (By the way, I think Aerith makes a wonderful Cinderella as well, as I think the other FVII female characters would have flat out rebelled in one fashion or another.)_

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Cinderella Story**

_-Walking on glass, and/or… up the stairs-_

* * *

Yuffie didn't understand why it was so necessarily urgent for the prince to find his bride. After all, what kind of people are actually up so early waiting around to try on shoes? A 6 AM wakeup call was totally uncalled for. She looked over at the person responsible for this rendezvous, only to find him alert and energetic as ever.

"Ehmygawd, Zack! I'm so tired, we've been up since six. It's now almost noon," she whined, trying to keep her eyes open. The Wutainese princess strangely found it difficult to sleep without the presence of her frog fiancé. Her mixture of guilt and worry kept her mind a buzz during the night. "_Is Vinnie alright? Did we accidently run him over in the carriage incident? What if he got eaten by a bear? Do bears even eat frogs? Are there bears existing in Gongaga to begin with?" _Things of that nature.

"Come on princess, we've only got the rest of this neighborhood left. She's got to be in one of them!" the ever so hopeful man replied, tracing his fingers on the side of the glass slipper the mysterious maiden left behind.

"You know what she looks like, why the need for all these girls to try the shoe?"

"It's all I got to work with." Sure, he knew basing his decision on the fit of a shoe was a big risk, especially since most of the past visits ended with many of the eligible bachelorettes insisting that the slipper was indeed their own. "Plus, it would seem rather unfair to the ladies, since I barely mingled with them last night."

The raven haired girl sucked her teeth in response, while looking through the small window that served as communication between the driver and its passengers. She noted a comatose Reno, with drool slowly creeping down his chin as he slept and an irritated, weary eyed Elena holding the reins to the chocobos trotting along the way up to the next house. The so-called-guard had taken the liberty of getting drunk during the celebration, leaving the short haired blonde to all of this mornings' driving around. The only good thing about it was Reno was assigned to shoe fitting duties, which some of the feet he was forced to be near were just quite atrocious.

"Ugggggh, I really hope it's the next one," Yuffie mumbled to herself, ready to chuck the glass slipper at the next girl foaming at the mouth ready to have her nuptials with the prince. She knew that anyone would be over zealous if there was a possibility that you could marry into royalty, but the way some of Gongaga's female citizens acted made her wonder what would happen when Zack found the girl he was looking for.

* * *

Vincent watched from the shadows of nooks and corners of the house, following close behind Aerith's step mother. A few times he found her peeping over her shoulder, as the sound of his hops caught her ears. It was hard being inconspicuous when tip-toeing was not an option. His main goal was to secure the key to his hostess' room, which currently resided in Scarlet's pocket. So far, the little black frog had not been in a reliable position to do so, as it involved him using his mouth to do most of the work. He did not fancy having to grab a manhandled rusty metal object with his…. _tongue_, and trying his best not to swallow it on the journey back to Aerith's quarters, but, it was the only plan that he could think of at the current moment.

He found able to get close enough to regain the key when the blonde sat down to enjoy a cup of tea, focusing her attention to her children fussing about their looks. He quickly made his way back into the shadows, when he heard knocking at the door. He would have to hurry as now the Aerith's opportunity to escape this place was rapidly coming to an close.

"Girls, calm yourselves. It seems the prince has arrived. Remember, this is our chance, DO NOT, screw it up."

"Yes, mother," her two daughters complied, giggling as she answered the door.

Vincent began to make his escape to as a short haired blonde girl presented the prince, but found himself stunned at her next proclamation.

"Announcing his royal highness, the crown prince, and her imperial highness, the sovereign princess of Wutai."

"_Yuffie?"_

"Well it is most defiantly an honor to have not only the prince, but a foreign princess in my home," Scarlet greeted, giving the two a curtsy as her daughters copied behind her. "May I present my daughters, Roby and Rose."

"I will no read the royal proclamation," Elena continued, trying to get through the process as soon as possible. Reno stood alongside her, yawning a bit, holding a pillow which on top the glass slipper was placed.

"Let me guess," Yuffie said in a side whisper to Zack, during the umpteenth time his servant ran through the kingdom's announcement "Neither of them are the girl you're looking for. And if they are, Zack, let me say, I'm _soooooooo_ disappointed in you."

"Be nice, Yuffie."

* * *

Vincent knew that the exchange downstairs would not last long. As much as he wanted to grab the attention of the princess, he opted to find his way back up instead.

It was fairly easy since the women downstairs found themselves occupied with the trying on of the slipper, and a few steps to Aerith's room was all he had left to travel. He could see one of Aerith's emerald eye peeking out of the keyhole, now crying tears of joy at his sighting. And then a look of terror swept over her face as he arrived at the door.

"Rosso! Rosso, no!" she yelled out, causing the frog to look behind him. He was met with the eyes of a red coated feline, whose form was ready to pounce. The cat made a purring noise in response to Aerith's cries. Vincent figured it was one laced with the desire to maul him. He made a giant leap to his left, as "Rosso" jumped after him, claws out and ready to scratch him to death. They bounced the door for about the minute, but the frog was finding it slightly difficult to get of harm's way with a giant key sitting in his mouth. He managed to jump to a higher place near the stair railing, but Rosso decided that she was going to simply wait for him to come down, waving her tail in the thought of her almost victory.

"Please, Rosso, just leave him alone," the brunette begged from behind her door.

Then something happened in which Vincent was sure he would never witness again. All sorts of domestic animals came to the aid of his mission. Mice, all sort of small birds, even a dog, which in the cat ran back down stairs to the others, enabling him to finally slip the key to Aerith, who promptly unlocked the door.

"Thank you everyone," she said, relieved to be out of confinement. She then picked Vincent up in her hands, and placed a small kiss on the top of his head. If he were human, he would be sure that he would be blushing red about now. "And thank you so much, Vincent." She placed him in a pocket of her apron and began rushing to the front door of the estate.

* * *

"Look miss, it just doesn't fit, yo. Quit trying to cram your foot into it."

"Oh shut it, carrot top. It'll fit, just watch," Ruby replied, contorting her foot in a strange mannerism to avoid rejection like her other sister.

"Now now, ladies, there is no reason to be rash, is there?" Zack said, kneeling by the girl, placing her hands in his. "Wouldn't want you to ruin such pretty little toes in that shoe."

Although the prince was lying about the aesthetics of her feet, he couldn't have her breaking something in there and blooding the slipper up. She reluctantly gave up trying. Reno took custody of the slipper once more, and placed it upon it's pillow top.

"I'm hoping- I mean, I assume that's all the ladies of this estate, I presume?" Elena piped up.

" Yes, there's no one left." Scarlet quickly answered.

The prince made a disheartening sigh. "Well, then, we shall take our leave then. Good day, then, he said, as Elena opened the door. They searching party had almost made their way back to the carriage, until they heard a voice beckoning to come back.

"Wait! Please come back, let me try!"

They all turned to find Aerith running towards them, and her step-mother and sisters trying to claim her need to try on shoes unnecessary.

"Hey that's the girl from last night!" Reno exaclaimed. Did he have some questions for her.

"The hobo lady….?" Yuffie rhetorically asked.

"My flower girl!"

Zack quickly made his way towards the green-eyed beauty retrieving the glass slipper in the process.

"Surely you must be mistaken, she's nothing but a servant girl!" the step-mother protested.

"No, she's the one…" he said, bending down on one knee, to test the shoe on her feet. A perfect fit. The two lock eyes with each other and smile. The rest of Aerith's so-called family pales.

"I must know your name… I've been too foolish to ask each time we've met."

"Aerith. I'm Aerith."

"Please to finally find you, Aerith. I'm Zack."

"Well, well," Elena begins to say to the women gawking at the scene unfolding before them. "You do know that all of you could now face punishment for lying to the prince." Scarlet faints at the possibility, as her daughters claims that it was their mother's idea. Reno simply snickers at the sight.

"Ew guys, get a room," Yuffie says interrupting the air of romance the reunited couple gives off. "I'm tired, let's go back already." Zack clears his throat.

"Yes, yes, let's go. I'll have to introduce you to my parent's right away."

They all make their way back to the carriage, and Elena starts driving it back towards the castle, as Reno cracks jokes about some of the nonsense they've witness today.

Vincent believes now is a good time to be reunited with Yuffie as well. He shuffles around in Aerith's pocket, hopping out of the opening.

"Oh!" the brunette jumps in surprise. "I forgot you were in there."

"Why do you have a frog?"

"Vince? Is that you?"

"Hello, princess," the frog cooly addresses. While the two ladies inside remain, remarkably cheery and calm about his entrance, the raven haired prince does not react as such.

"HOLY SHIT, HOW IS IT SPEAKING?!"

* * *

_A/N: Lol. Well I hope that was enjoyable for everyone. Sorry that it took a lot longer to update than I thought, I've just had too many things come up. Don't forget to leave me a review now, ya hear?_


	10. Chapter 9: Beside your side & Sea

_A/N: OMG everyone! I can't believe it's been that long since I've updated! I am beyond sorry, I will try harder to make sure the next update doesn't take so long. :( Thanks to everyone who faves and follows! I'm trying to work up something extra special for this fic, but I don't wanna spoil it just in case I don't get around to it._

_Thanks to my reviewers **Ariever, **_**_Bunny-chan2022__, __littlemsstrawberry__, __CupofTeaforAliceandHatter_**_ and _**_melissal58_**_ . You all are my normal reviewers I see! Thanks for your constant reviews, no words can express how happy they make me._

_And I will probably use other Tsviets for extra villains as needed. I do hope to fit Shelke in this story sometime, I think I already know what I have in mind for her._

_Anyhoo, enjoy this new chapter loves!_

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Beside your side, Beside the sea**

_-When each wave comes a-rolling in-_

* * *

Elena yanked the reins to the chocobos in one swift movement, startled by the prince of Gongaga's outcry, quickly turning her attention to the on-goings in the carriage. The messy red-head next to her curiously peeked over into the driver's window. They view Zack pressing his body in his corner of the seat, arms spread out on his sides, with one pressed on the window and the other protecting his newly found fiancée. The White Rose of Wutai would have died of laughter had she not have to explain why she was familiar with the amphibian.

"Your highness, what's the matter?" the blonde questioned, her eyes darting around, looking for impending signs of danger.

"I-It's a demon frog!"

"Cool!" Reno exclaims, ignoring the scowl on Elena's face.

"Oh, he's harmless," the braided brunette chimed, giggling afterwards.

"I am not a demon."

Zacks once again yelps in shock, as Elena makes a small shriek. The small frog however hops his way onto Yuffie's lap.

"Aww man, it speaks too! That is one awesome frog, yo. Can I have it?"

"No way! Uh…. er- I mean….. he's my… er….Fi.. fi… friend! He's my friend." As much as the princess would have preferred to use the word "pet," she was pretty sure that Vincent would be offended at the term. The prince relaxed a bit while his fear began to turn into curiosity.

"But Yuffie," he began, "what business do you have with a talking frog?"

"Yeah princess, I like to know the answer to that too, yo. I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other. I'm _so_ hurt right now." Her guard put a hand over his heart for emphasis.

These were one of the rare moments in Yuffie's life where she had wished everyone was not staring at her, waiting to see what she would do next. She had wondered if Vincent would speak up, but as always he was silent.

_Why are quiet when I want you to say something? Certainly couldn't shut your trap when you came hopping to my castle doors…._

"Well, um. So I totally owe Vinnie a huge favor… which consists of turning him into a human…?"

"Have you tried a Maiden's Kiss?" Elena asked.

"Didn't work."

"How 'bout a remedy, yo?" Reno suggested.

"Nope."

"I got it! Maybe a transform material will do the trick?" The prince ecstatically said.

"Already tried. Total waste of magic."

The group sat in silence for a couple of minutes pondering what to possibly do about the situation. A thought crossed the amber haired beauty's mind, and she cleared her throat to gather their attention.

"Perhaps my fairy godmother can assist you? I have seen her turn mice into chocobos and even a simple dog into a man. She even turned a pumpkin into a carriage."

"I knew I wasn't seeing things, yo! Lainey, _now_ do you believe me?"

"Oh, shut up, Reno… Anyway, I thought there were no fairy godmothers in existence anymore."

"Hmm, that is something, eh? But just proves my flower girl's one special lady in Gaia."

"That's awesome!" Yuffie cheered, grateful that their weird encounter with the Zack's bride-to-be, would not prove fruitless. It even spawned a hopeful look from Vincent. "How can we find her?"

"That… I'm not really too sure about. You see, she came to me, and well, quite I've only met her once." Aerith saw hope deflating from both of their faces. "But, I will do my best to help, after all, if it weren't for Vincent, I'd still be in that house. He… saved my life."

"… I did not do much.."

"Nonsense! If my lady says you have saved her life, then I am indebted to you as well. I'll help out anyway possible, friend."

"So, like, if she doesn't even know where we can find this fairy godmother or whatever, what then?"

"I'm sure someone in the castle would know how, right?" the blond responded.

"Bingo! I know just the person to help." The young prince answered, smiling from ear to ear.

"Well, what are we sittin' around for, yo? Let's get this buggy outta traffic!"

* * *

The princess of Wutai waited in her guestroom anxiously waiting for any news of finding Aerith's so-called fairy godmother. She smiled at the thought of accomplishing her mission, freely going back to her old life and the many sweets that awaited her return. Yuffie couldn't help but giggle at her impending victory.

_I wonder what the Vinster will do once he's human. Hopefully he doesn't brood all the time like he does now, and GAWD, he has got to stop with all of that napping. He should have been a cat instead._

"Hey Vinnie…. What cha gonna do when you become human? Travel the world? Stay in Wutai? Cause… you know you could always stay in the castle til you find a place to settle and stuff."

"Hmmm… perhaps. "

"Perhaps what?"

"I may take your offer," he replied. He contemplated this situation many times to himself, knowing he should return to his homeland, but at the same time terrified of what he would find there.

"Hey, I'm being generous, the least you could do is act slightly touched."

"I am deeply moved by her Lady Kisaragi's graciousness."

"My _gawd_ Vince, just call me Yuffie! No need for the fancy stuff…. Wait, you were being sarcastic weren't you?"

"Not at all, dear princess." A small smirk appeared on his face.

"You stop that sass with me, Mr. Froggy Pants. You stop that right now."

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation regarding the future, and opened revealing Aerith happily prancing inside the room.

"Good news, we may have found a way to contact my fairy godmother!"

"_May_ found?"

"Well your grace, don't say it like that. It's highly possible."

"That's right," Zack agreed, following in close behind her, "It may take at the most three days tops to hear back from her."

"But, why the wait? Shouldn't she just magically appear in an instant?"

"Well," the prince began, scratching the back of his head, "I forget the details, but Kunsel said that it's really just getting our messengers out. They're only human, after all."

"Kunsel?"

"Oh, yes, he's preparing to be my advisor for when I become king."

"He explained that while they don't have access to my fairy godmother, but there are residential fairies that do appear on very grand occasions for royals. He said that they may know of her or perhaps how to find her. Since her last appearance has quite recent, she most likely hasn't gone too far."

"So now it's just the waiting game."

"I'm afraid so."

Yuffie let out a sigh of impatience. She was really looking forward to freedom today, but it could be a lot longer she supposed.

"Well, while you wait, why not join us on a small trip to the coast? My dear flower girl has told me that she hasn't had the opportunity to enjoy the ocean for many years."

"Oh my love, you spoil me."

"_Ewww_, stop with all the mushy names, it's totally grossing me out. Anyway, as long as I don't have to get on a boat, I guess that's fine. How about you Vinnie?"

The stoic black creature merely gives her a nod in response.

"So it's to the beach we go!"

* * *

The group traveled back to the port town in which Yuffie had first arrived in Gongaga, to a small secluded villa with a beach front setting. When night arrived, Yuffie left the recently reunited couple to their own devices, as the aura of their "lovey-dovey-ness" drove her insane. Strangely, she had picked up the sense that her froggy companion had shared an opposite opinion on the matter. When she question Vincent on the matter, he simply avoided making any eye contact with her.

_Note to self, Vinnie is quite the romantic. How cute! I never would have guessed. I wonder what kind of girls he would be into…. Probably girls like Aerith. I can see that. Although, he's really missing out on awesome girls like me, not that he'll ever find any one better than the great Yuffie Kisaragi. _

"Hey Vince, let's take a moonlight stroll along the beach."

"…Pardon me?"

"I see you staring at Zack and Aerith, making those lovesick sighs of singlehood."

"I am not making these "sighs of singlehood" you claim that I am doing."

"Yes you do. You're always staring at them when you do it."

"That is negative. I do no such thing."

"No need to be shy about it Vin-Vin. Come on let's go. Maybe the fresh air will cheer you up. Besides, who would turn down a date with a hot babe like me? Only the crazy ones."

The small frog let out a sigh of a yet another defeat. He might as well humor the young princess's request.

"I suppose there would be no harm in that."

"Of course not! It'll be fun. I know you have difficulty understanding what that is, but I can assure that you'll definitely enjoy it."

* * *

Yuffie choose to roam the shoreline barefoot, as she secretly enjoyed the feeling of wet sand in between her toes. Vincent sat on a handkerchief placed on top of the princess's shoulder, as she rambled about the comparisons between the coast of Gongaga with that of Wutai. She was clearly biased on opinion, but the passionate way she spoke about her homeland was quite endearing. The frog was intrigued by the light of moon reflecting off of her dark hair, highlighting joyous facial expressions, and creating a glimmer in her stormy colored eyes.

In fact, he could say that he gotten fond of the young lady. Fond enough to at least tolerate her. As he contemplated the world wonder that she was, though he would never admit it, her sudden stop and high pitched screaming whipped him back to reality.

Looking to see what had startled the princess, he had seen out a man passed out who looked to be as if he was washed onto the shore, as his body was covered with the residue of sand and traces of seaweed caught in thick chunky spikes of blonde hair.

Vincent was however unsure if Yuffie was indeed screeching at the fact that the tide had brought in a unconscious young man, the fact that he _only_ had sand and seaweed on his body, or the combination of both. At least he was lying face down.

* * *

_A/N: Whoohoo, wonder who that nekkid guy could be? Lol, you'll get to read about that the next time I update. Which I promise to try to do a lot sooner next time._


	11. Cloud: Fishing for the Right Words

_a/n: Hello again my dear readers! Once again I have provided you another side/back story to lay your beautiful eyes on. :) I'm sorry that updates are not very quick. I try to alternate between this and my other fic "Off Pitch!" so that everyone is not waiting forever. "Off Pitch!" has gotten a lot of attention, so I feel pressured to update it, even though "Misadventures" is my baby, lol. I think I'll give this one an update before the other one just because the plot necessarily doesn't advance with this update. The good news is that this update is actually much longer than all the others._

_Other than that, there are A TON of cameos of other characters from different FF games in this (I will add others later, btw.) But they're only supporting characters._

_Also, I feel like every character in this update is totally OOC. Lol, idk why, but I still like the way it came out. I ask that if you can, leave me feedback about that._

_Lots of froggy Vincent kisses to all of you who fave and follow the fic! (Even those who follow without clicking the follow checkbox, lol)_

_A special thanks to **ael fyragh, CupofTeaforAliceandHatter, Ariever** and **melissal58** for your wonderful reviews! I don't mind giving a shout out to my reviewers at all. :) They help with the story._

_**Ael fyragh**, drama is Vincent's middle name, I guarantee that there will be some in the fic later on._

_And **Ariever**, razor cuts suck the most._

* * *

**Cloud**

_**"Fishing for the Right Words"**_

* * *

My name is Cloud Strife.

I'm twenty-one years old. Apparently in human years that's about sixty-three. Thankfully, we mer people don't look it.

Oh yeah. I'm a merman. Currently living in Bodham, located in the Sea of Serenity. It's the capital of the seas.

And I, well, want to escape it as soon as possible.

"Young master," a voice disrupts my mental monologue, "Will you be dining once more in your room again, or will you be joining the rest of the royal family for dinner this evening?"

I let a long sigh before telling Ester that I'll just eat here for tonight.

"Very well, your highness."

Did I mention that I recently just found out I'm a prince? Generally while that would make a lot of guys happy to know that they get to rule an entire empire of oceans, I'm not so thrilled. For nearly twenty years, I've been only with my mother, living as other normal mer people do. If that kind of living was considered normal anyway. I'm not much of a people person. In any case, basically about four months before I turned twenty-one, I'm whipped off to the castle to meet my father. Who all along happened to be the king.

Great looking out, Dad.

But it doesn't stop there. 'Cause I've got two brand new half sisters to put up with. The younger one isn't so bad. She's great actually. Serah's been really open to have a big brother in her life, and helps with all the tension and stress being here gives me. And by tension I mean my older sister, Claire. Or "Lightning" as she prefers to be called.

You see, the heir to the throne is meant to be the firstborn male. If that's not an option, then it goes to the eldest daughter. I guess my father and the queen thought they'd be able to have one of their own, but it didn't go as planned.

Long story short, the king had an affair with my mom, while married to the queen back when they were young. I was born and they all tried to keep me a secret, but someone found out, which leads me to this present situation. And Lighting is pretty much pissed that she won't be inheriting the throne anymore.

Yup.

"Cloud?" Serah's voice comes through the door. "Are you in there? Can I come eat with you?"

"Sure," I answer back. She comes in rolling in a tray with two plates of ~ surprise! Fish. It's only cannibalism if we eat another mer person.

Sending the servants away, she swims across from me and seats herself. Serah's definably the queen's daughter, the similarities in physical features are uncanny. Except when she looks at me there isn't a look of discontent in her eyes.

"So big brother, how was your day?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Alright, I guess."

"Hmmm. So then you had a good day. I had a wonderful day today. You know, I heard the sea turtles are preparing to make their journey onto the shores. Of course, they're all waiting for Ultamecia to make her usual one-hundred year appearance."

"The Siren. What's her deal anyway?"

"It's said that she consumes the souls of the humans that she comes across, all for the sake of youth. I feel so sorry for the poor things, it's not like they have long lives to begin with."

"That's pretty vain."

"Well, yeah, better them than us," a new voice retorts from the door way. It's Lightning.

"Oh Light! Are you joining us?" Serah asks, surprised that this woman actually knows where my room is. I don't blame her, so am I.

"It's not like you two couldn't have ate in the dining hall to begin with."

Oh gee, big sis, but if I didn't have to sit between you and your mom's glares plus the always awkward silence, maybe I'd feel more inclined to join. I'd say that out loud but Lightning's already scary as it is. I'd rather not provoke her.

"The dining hall's a bit much to what Cloud's used to-"

"If Strife can't handle a big fancy table, then I'm genuinely concerned about the future of the empire."

Pfft. I ain't afraid of that stupid table.

"Why are you here?" Not to sound rude, but Lightning only speaks to me when she feels like she has to.

"I'm not here for you. I'm here for Serah." she says, flipping her rose gold hair off her shoulder. "Snow's here."

"Really?" Her eyes light up in response. She gives me a pleading look, probably feeling guilty that she wants to run off to see her significant other. "Is it all right, Cloud?"

"You really don't need my permission. Do what you want."

She squeals in delight and gives me a giant hug. "Thanks!" After she swims off to probably make out with her lover, my elder sister is still floating by the entrance. I just realized that even my little sister gets more action than I do. Damn.

"Cloud," Lighting cuts in, interrupting my train of thoughts, "Not that it's any of my business or whatever, but I'd suggest for the next couple of days you'd keep your head under the water. The Siren's storms aren't the kind you'd like to be caught in." I can't help but smirk at her concern. It's the first time I've seen any other feeling than loathing come from her.

"Didn't know that you cared."

"I don't. I'm just covering my tail just in case you do something more reckless than usual."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Don't play dumb with me, Strife. Those so called visits to your mother's place are just an excuse to go gaze at ships and humans. I'm surprised you haven't been harpooned by one yet. Humans are dangerous creatures. It's common knowledge and yet you continuously put yourself in danger."

Uh-oh. I've been caught. How'd she know this anyway?

"So…. You're going to tell our father?" It's still pretty weird saying that.

"No, I'm not, for now. But I don't like keeping secrets, so I'd advise you quit while you ahead. " She turns to leave, her rose gold tail creating a surge of tiny bubbles behind her, I can't help but to mess a little bit with her I guess it must be the little brother syndrome.

"Thanks a lot, Claire."

Light snaps her head back in my direction with the most frightening look I've ever seen in my life with seething out, "If–you-ever-call-me-that-again-I-will-personally- feed-you-to-the-humans-on-a-plate-made-of-your-own -bones."

Such sisterly compassion.

* * *

Despite Lightning's warning, here I am. I'm not all alone out here know. There's Vaan and Penelo to keep me company. We've been friends since I was a little merboy. They're my only friends.

"Can't we just skip the next couple of nights, guys?" Penelo asks, worried about the Siren making her appearance tonight.

"Hmmm, that's Cloud's call. Personally, I'm hoping she decides to take down a band of pirates!" the light haired blonde says to the girl. Vaan takes interest in excavating the type of things humans lose in shipwrecks and such. Guess it could be called treasure hunting. Penelo doesn't like the thought of us out here on our own so she just tags along. As for me, I'm only looking out for a certain ship.

I don't care about ships really, I'm just curious about the human I met on here once. That's right, I met one. And she was completely harmless. That was sixteen years ago though. I was fifteen at the time.

It was the first time the three of us ever went out into the ocean.

* * *

_"Hey guys, we're really far out from the city, don't you think?"_

_"Oh come on, Penelo, where's you sense of adventure? Well never find anything from humans if we just sit around waiting for something to fall from these ships. We're out to discover!"_

_"How do you even know they have anything worth looking at?"_

_"Because! Just look at this!" Vaan exclaimed, pulling out a golden colored circular device, with pieces of metal binding it together, all held together by what looked like a necklace. He began twisting some sort of knob at the top, and we were amazed to hear it make a ticking type of noise. Even the some of the pieces began to move! It was the first piece to Vaan's incredibly curious collection of human artifacts._

_A noise from a passing whale startled our pigtailed friend, and she quickly panicked. "What was that?!"_

_"A big ol' harmless whale, Penny," I said rolling my eyes. After a few minutes of turning over a couple of rocks and poking around, something else caught Penelo's attention._

_"Umm, what is that?" she questioned, pointing up towards the water's surface._

_"Oh! Oh! I know what it is!" Vaan exclaims. "Migelo said it's a butt."_

_"That's a pretty big butt," she responds._

_"Heh, Vaan I dare you to go touch it," I taunt, not believing that he actually would._

_"No problem Cloudy," he says swimming up to put his hand on the wooden bottom. "Look at me guys, I'm touching the butt! Bet you wish you were this brave huh, Cloud?"_

_"Pfft. I could have touched the butt if I wanted to."_

_"Yeah, yeah, sure you could have," he mocks me, coming back to where Penelo and I are at. "How about this then, I dare you to go see what the humans on the ship are doing."_

_"Vaan!"_

_"Relax, Pen, he wouldn't do it," the little jerk tells her. I'm not scared of any human anyway._

_"Tch, watch me mosey my way up there."_

_"Well, don't keep us waiting all night now."_

_"Oh you two…..Cloud, be careful!"_

_Swimming to the surface, I poke my head out to check to see for signs of danger._

_All clear. Making my way to a strange man-made ladder, I use my upper body strength to climb to the top, and peek into some strange hole that allows me to view the top of the ship. I guess the majority of the humans must be asleep, because there's not much going on right now. I'm relieved that I can go back into the sea until a strange hairy white creature finds my hideout._

_"Meow."_

_I can feel my face paling at the encounter._

_"Sir Rwhiskaas, I found you!" a sweet lighthearted voice giggles, as the owner of the fluffy animal comes to figure out what it had come across._

_Next thing I know, I have the face of a chubby cheeked human child with large garnet innocent eyes staring deep into my accursed soul. A heavy gasp escapes her lips as I motion for her to keep quiet. She mimics the gesture, and looks over the side of the ship where I'm hanging. Sir Whiskers makes another "meow" in the silence._

_"You're a mermaid!" The little brunette whispers with excitement, tucking a strand behind her ear._

_I'm a merman, but considering she's but only a small child, I doubt correcting her is going to make much of a difference._

_"Yeah," I half-heartily agree._

_"I'm Princess Tifa!"_

_"Uh… Hi, Tifa…..Um… How old are you?"_

_"I'm almost four," the girl states proudly holding up her entire palm. I place her thumb finger down to correct her strangely cute mistake. She looks at her hand and giggles a bit._

_"Oopsy."_

_I can help but smile at how adorable the human girl is._

_"How old are you?"_

_"Hmmm, well to you, I'm fifteen."_

_"Wow, you're rweally old."_

_"Well compared to you, I guess I am."_

_"RWhere do you live?"_

_"In the ocean."_

_"I know that! But rwhare in the ocean? The ocean is rweally rweally big."_

_I shrug my shoulders. I've already broken the law of making contact with a human to begin with, and I don't feel up to breaking any others tonight. Even though this particular human is clearly harmless._

_"It's a secret," I jest, ruffling up her hair a bit._

_"Awww…" Tifa pouts, crossing her arms._

_I attempt to jump back into the sea before anyone else aboard the ship catches sight of me, when she stops me by grabbing a hold of my shoulder, almost causing herself to tip overboard._

_"What is it?"_

_"C-Can you make wishes come twrue? I heard mermaids can do tat. Tats wut mama said."_

_Um, no. Is this what humans say about us? But, whatever, it's not like she'll remember this when she's older anyway. Humans have horrible memory._

_"Sure."_

_"Hmm," she thinks out loud, pondering her wish."I wish tat we can see each udder again. Promise me, pretty puh-lease."_

_I know I shouldn't do this, but for the sake of time, and damnit, I can't say no to such a cute little girl, I give in to her request._

_"Alright I promise," I lie, hearing the footsteps of another human approaching._

_"Thank you so much!" she squeals planting a kiss on my nose. Aside from my mom, no one's given me a kiss before. Just great Cloud, a four year old human is not what you were hoping for when thinking about the next affectionate gesture._

_I quickly make a quiet descent back to the ocean. Before fully immersing myself into the sea I stop to listen to their conversation._

_"There you are, Tifa! By Gaia, I have such a curious child," a woman says._

_"Mama, I saw a mermaid!"_

_"Is that so?" Her voice carries a tone of disbelief. "And was the mermaid beautiful?"_

_"Yes…"_

_I hear Tifa's mother give out a hearty laugh at her daughter's answer._

_"Oh my, that must have been a very beautiful mermaid for you to blush like that, darling."_

* * *

I swam away with one of the biggest smiles I ever had in my lifetime plastered on my face that evening.

"Come on, Cloud, you've been looking at that same ship for years now, and not once have you seen that human again. She probably doesn't even remember you."

"You know, Penny's right. It's been what, like twenty years since you met the girl who was practically a baby?"

"It's been sixteen actually."

"Whatever man, the point is, you keep watching out for the girl's ship every year at the same time. And yeah, it does appear every time, but there hasn't been a sighting of her since then. Not to mention all you do is hide behind these rocks to sneak a couple of peeks. I think it's about time you quit stalking the poor thing."

I'm not stalking. I just wanna see whatever became of her, that's all.

"Do you guys ever think what'll be like if we were human? Just for one day, with…legs and all." I ask Vaan and Penelo. They look at each other with confused faces and turn back to me.

"If you mean, something like the Selkie, where we can come back and live in the ocean, then, sure, why not?" Vaan admits, playing with one of the more recent human artifacts he's found. "Then I'd be able to figure out what all my collectables are meant for."

"Hmm, I don't know. Even a Selkie has to be careful though. I've heard of a couple of stories where some never returned to the sea."

"Heh, I figured this thing out. Take a look." Vaan hands me the contraption, all while motioning for me to place the smaller end near my left eye.

Woah there. This thing can stuff that's way out there! Hey, I can even see a ship approaching. I know this ship! That's definitely Tifa's ship. The weather doesn't seem to be changing. So I guess I was all worried about nothing.

"Alright guys. You win. No more looking after her ship," I say, kind of disappointed that all these years, I haven't caught the slightest glimpse of the princess.

"Finally, you've gotten a bit of common sense."

"Your highness!" Penelo gasps in horror.

"Lightning…but why?"

"I can't let you go on any longer than this while knowing. I should have just stayed oblivious. Are you seriously looking for a human?"

"What of it?"

"You're out of line Cloud. Let's return to the palace. Before anything else happens."

I roll my eyes knowing that she won't let up until we've left. I take on more glance into the magical magnifying thing, and suddenly all my years of checking on that little girl have wandered into my vision.

She stood there smiling gently, while looking outward towards the sea; her long hair billowing in the wind. She seems to be speaking to one of the crew members, laughing lighting about something.

That sweet little innocent flower I once made a promise to so long ago, has blossomed into the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on. And yet, she still has that familiar aura about her. My heart feels like it's going into overdrive.

"It's her…." I whisper, losing my voice at the sight.

"Um, Cloud man, you're gawking. In front of your sister, about a human no less," Vaan reminds me.

"This is ridiculous," Lighting mumbled, folding her arms across her chest.

As on cue, the waves in the ocean came to a still, and an enchanting yet haunting faint melody could be heard being sung across the horizon. The sky appeared to be turning an ominous blood color, as many storm clouds begin to encircle the ship.

"It's the Lunar Cry of the Siren. We need to leave, _now_, Strife."

"No, I can't. She's in danger." I can't leave her alone to Ultamecia. Even if she survives the storm, the Siren will take her soul anyway. I can't have that happen. I won't let that happen.

"We're all in danger, Cloud!" I hear my sister yelling at me, noting how strained her voice was now.

"She's right, Cloud, let's just leave." Penelo started to beg of me.

I know I'm going insane, because even though my mind is agreeing with everyone, my body is doing the opposite. I'm swimming towards the storm. I'm making my way to the ship. I'm risking my life to save a human.

* * *

A strange turn events happened while I was rescuing the human princess. The storm ended abruptly, in the midst of everything, so as fate would have it, I guess you could say I was lucky. Laying the down on the nearest beach, I worry for a moment because she's not breathing.

"Is…Is she dead?" Penelo's voice squeaks from the shore.

"Check if her heart's still going at it, I think it should be on the right side of her chest."

I lay my ear where Vaan instructs, and I hear a faint heartbeat. To be honest, I'm not sure if that's just the way a human heart works or if the fact that the woman's got a lot of….fluff in the way, if you get what I mean.

"It's beating," I state. "What now?"

"Well, humans need lots of oxygen to live, so maybe she needs a little air?"

I clench my jaw nervously, but I know that all my efforts would be in vain if she died on me now. I get ready to attempt to blow some air back into her lungs, when she coughs up some water and begins to breathe again.

"Look it's been a long night, let's get back home already," an irritated Lightning barks a me. I know I'm in for it when we do get back to the palace by the tone of her voice.

As everyone makes their way back into the depths of the ocean, I take one last look at Tifa. Brushing some of hair from out of her face, I try to emboss the memory of her beauty before leaving. I hold one of her soft hands in mine.

"Looks like I've kept my promise after all, Princess. It's not exactly as you might of wished it to be, but maybe someday it'll be better."

She makes a small wince and a tiny moan in response. Placing a small kiss on her nose, I make my exit as voices draw near.

* * *

"Well what do we have here? It's very rare to see mer people in Oerba, let alone, anywhere near this coastal area," A tall tanned woman, with a strange marking on one arm, wrapping rather protectively around the rose pig-tailed Selkie who introduced herself as Vanille.

"He wishes to roam the land like we do, Fang. I don't know what to tell him."

"Well, aren't we the brave little fishy? Why does a cutie like you wanna do that for?"

Her questioning brings a blush to my face. I can't get Tifa out of my mind no matter how I try to forget about her. Fang laughs when she see my cheeks flushed in red.

"I see. So you fell in love with a human. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, love, but there's nothing we can do for you."

"I was told the Selkie use a special potion to transform into humans and back."

"It works on the Selkies, but it isn't meant for the likes of you." Vanille tells me again for the fourth time since I've walked in.

"But has anyone ever tried?"

"….."

"So I'm not the first."

"Look, a long time ago there was mermaid who stole the transform potion."

"And?"

"And, she became a human, but lost her voice in the process. They say she came back to the sea in tears, and because she had trouble communicating, no one could understand why she was so upset. Our people tried to help but the potion we Selkies use to transform back to our normal selves had no effect. "

"It's said that she simply laid out on the shore before she eventually turned into sea foam," Vanille added at the end, her eyes downcast.

"So we can't be held responsible for what happens to you if still decide to go through with it. Are you really willing to take that risk, little one?"

I think this over with as much logic as possible. Do I really want to end up as a pile of salty bubbles if I fail to figure out how to find her? Once again, it all becomes rendered useless when I imagine seeing Tifa again.

"Yes."

They make me meet them twenty minutes away from the village , where Fang informs me that the nearest human city is called Gongaga, named after the country itself.

"Now, walking is gonna take some time to getting used to since you've got two new limbs to figure out, pardon me, actually you're gonna have three, but you'll get used to it. We'll try to see if we can find anything about a cure while land roaming alright, hun."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? It's your last chance, you can still go back to living as a mer man" Vanille reminds me.

"Not interested."

A chug the contents of the vial down, and everything seems normal. Then I begin to have strong pounding sensations in my head and the world is going in and out of my vision. I can hear shouting as I begin to black out.

"Cloud! Cloud! Light, Cloud's over here"

"What did two you do to him?! What have you done to my brother?!"

"Look princess, calm down. He did this to himself. This was all his choosing."

"He's changing."

"What's going on with my big brother? Is he…?"

"We need to take him to the shore immediately, otherwise he'll drown."

"Damn you, Strife! You really are a fool! Why don't you ever listen?!"

* * *

_A/N: Finally the end of that one! I tried to cut it down, but it didn't make sense when I did, if it even makes sense now. I guess it's okay that Cloud gets a long backstory considering he's going to be a mute for a good while in the rest of the fic, lol. Oh yes! And a Selkie is seal that sheds its skin to become human on land, and then puts it back on when returning to sea. In my version they're half and half, and use magical potionz to transform. Hopefully no one gets butthurt over that twist of mythology. I didn't want to go the sea witch route with this story, so this ended up being my alternative to that._

_Hope ya'll enjoyed reading this!_


End file.
